


Bad Luck

by Clumsy_ninja



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Confusion, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Drama & Romance, F/M, Romantic Comedy, Season 2 On, Tragedy, rating will later change, striving for comedic balance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2019-11-04 04:51:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17891816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clumsy_ninja/pseuds/Clumsy_ninja
Summary: The second newest student in Beacon Hills may be more than she appears, which isn't much since she strives to be invisible. Until she finally speaks to the subject of her infatuation, a certain Stilinkski, and gets pulled into the Wolf Pack world. Or rather, dives into it head first, dragging her best friend behind her.  How long can she help and worry from the shadows?  Secrets abound between the teens as the future looms ahead of them.





	1. Scent

**Author's Note:**

> Initial IsaacxOC, eventual StilesxOC...probably. Maybe it'll branch. Who knows. Begins in S2, updated every Sunday. While it is cross-posted on fanfiction.net, the chapters are being edited at the same rate.

Two girls were sitting on a picnic table outside of their favourite café munching their lunch. It was a little out of place for their age, to not be murmuring in a group. Most teens, and even adults, were whispering about what had happened to Lydia Martin the night before. The girls didn’t seem phased by it at all. One of the girls sitting on top of the table had her legs crossed with her sandwich in her lap, staring at the few people who were eating outside with disinterest. Her face kept contorting in annoyance every time her long hair blew into her mouth as she attempted to take a bite. “GAH!” she cried out and shook her fist in the direction of the oncoming breeze. “I really hate the wind sometimes!”

She received an absentminded pat on the knee from her friend, the hand almost fully hidden beneath the worn sleeve of her hoodie. “Nana, you only say that whenever it isn’t in your favour. Any other time, you’re gushing. ‘Oh, I love the wind so much!’” her friend mocked, clasping her hands together under her chin, gazing off longingly into the distance. Until she received a shove and the love-filled expression transitioned into a smirk, tossing her bangs out of her eyes with a shake of her head. 

“Oh shut up Cassie, I don’t look like tha-“ she suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Muscles tightened. Her mouth screwed into a grimace. Eyes squeezed shut and her torso quivered from the concentrated effort not to breathe. Her petite friend swiveled naturally to look in the direction the wind was coming from, watching a tall, curly-haired boy disappear around a corner.

“Isaac’s gone. Is it really _that_ bad?”

The response was delayed as breaths were exaggeratedly taken in, shoulders rolling as if trying to shrug something off. Her dark grey eyes looked up to the side in thought, fingers tapping on the table. “I don’t think I can explain what he smells like. It’s kind of acrid, and it stings, but also kind of like…just…sad. I’d say he smells like despair? Or hopelessness. If that even makes sense. I don’t like it; it makes me depressed, knowing someone is feeling like that, you know?” she replied, chewing her top lip in thought. “It kind of makes me want to cry? But I can’t tell if it’s the feeling or the smell itself…”

Her freckled companion nodded solemnly, looking back towards the corner. “My sister may be an asshole, but at least she’s never made me feel like that. Definitely not since you moved here,” Cassie said, slipping an earbud into her ear. 

“I should hope so…” the dark haired girl responded, her eyes narrowing to just slits. They relaxed as her thoughts wandered, finally biting into her sandwich. “Should we go see Lydia in the hospital?”

She received a leveled stare through heavy red bangs. “The girl who never looks at us twice? Or if she does it’s a judging look? That Lydia? The one who is also unconscious. Or perhaps,” she quipped, a sly smile crossing her lips as she slowly, almost unnoticeably, took her legs out from under the tabletop. “You just hope you’ll bump into the guy who is practically obsessed with her? Although, you’re basically equally obsessed with that awkweird guy!”

Her voice trailed into almost a squeak as she jumped from the table as her friend lunged at her, almost falling off the table in the process.

 

Four days later, they were back in school. Now filled with whispers of where Lydia had been, naked for days. The girls were at their lockers, not invited to any whispering circles. Although they would have declined to participate on principle. “Well,” Cassie sighed, closing her locker with a definitive bang. “My sister will be happy to steal Queen Bee status from her, now that everyone thinks she’s a nutjob. Though, I never understood how a junior was threatened by a sophomore, but whatever.”

“I don’t know, I don’t pretend to know how High School works,” the tall girl replied, shrugging her shoulders and turning on her heel to walk to class – right into a wall. No, a person.

“Oh jeez! So, so…rry?” she started, looking up into a familiar face. “Isaac?”

He nodded and the curls on his head bounced around his eyes as he looked at her quizzically. “Sorry about that…Naja? That’s it, right? I wasn’t really paying attention.”  
It took her a minute to stop staring at him, lips pursed in confusion. A subtle kick from a booted foot brought her back to reality and a sheepish smile attempted to cover her weird expression. “No, I normally am really good at knowing when people are behind me. It’s my bad. Don’t worry about it. Sorry, again,” she apologized, waving a hand over her shoulder as she forcibly dragged her friend away at a fast pace. She didn’t stop walking until they were halfway down the next hallway. “What the hell was that?!” she whisper-shouted, eyes wide, craning her neck to see if Isaac was within earshot. 

“I dunno, you couldn’t smell him? Normally you smell him like…thirty feet away,” the shorter girl queried, adjusting her plaid shirt which was slightly pulled out of shape from being dragged.

“That’s just it – he didn’t smell like anything he normally smells like! Not fear, not sadness, not despair. Nothing!”

Her confused tirade would have continued, except she was now looking past her friend to a couple down the hall. The guy walked away, smug as anything. But the girl looked as if she were about to burst into tears. Before she could be stopped, Naja marched over there, attempting to make it look casual, and plucked her purse’s strap like a bass line as she tried to comfort the most popular girl in school. “Hey Lydia, I’m sorry he’s such an asshole. Nobody deserves to be treated like that, especially after what you just went through…whatever that was…exactly…” 

She had started off strong, but faltered when the strawberry-blonde female stared up at her as if she had seven heads. “I’m sorry, do I know you?” came the retort, lips pursed as the welled tears in her eyes disappeared. 

“Well, I thought you might kind of remember me. I’ve been in most of your classes just after the start of the school year…I had like, an introduction and everything. Naja Dinan, from Africa…” Naja began, winding up for a full rant about how just because she didn’t like to party, people didn’t remember her. Thankfully she was stopped when her friend walked up behind her.

“Lydia,” she greeted curtly with a nod, otherwise expressionless. 

“Cassandra.” The nod repeated, as well as a change in posture. “How’s your sister?”

“Still a pain in the ass,” Cassie replied, shrugging her shoulders and tugging Naja’s bag. “We should get to class.”

The two girls walked away, one still steaming, the other chiding her for drawing attention to herself; leaving Lydia with an odd smile on her face.


	2. Mountain Lions and Transformations

“Hey, did you see Erica today?”

Cassie snorted, tossing her USB drive up in the air and catching it before it hit her face. “I think she would have been impossible to miss. I think I actually heard the smack of jaws hitting the floor. I get that it was a makeover and whatever, but,” she paused to flip onto her back, staring at her friend who was sitting on the floor. “Did her tits look bigger to you? Like, is that a thing?”

Naja burst out laughing, tossing an eraser at the freckle-faced girl. “No, no I don’t think it’s a thing. Maybe she was just wearing a push-up bra or something. Apparently the bite gives you confidence or some weird crap like that. Although, look at Isaac-“

“Before he was a fugitive.”

“Yeah, yeah. Before he was a fugitive, he was practically glowing with new life. Maybe it’s just the effect it has on impressionable teens? I’m no expert though,” she continued, used to interjections by now. At this point in their friendship, they didn’t even faze her anymore. “Although, stealing that guy’s apple was weird. And then just leaving…that’s not normal, right?”

“No, it’s not. Not even regular teenager weird, promise.” Cassie’s one hand was pressed to her chest, the other palm was facing up as if she were swearing an oath. Not that it could entirely be seen from the floor. There was a short silence, the only sound being the pencil Naja was using to do her Chemistry homework pressing to the paper. She didn’t notice her friend’s contemplative look directed at the ceiling. “How come…you couldn’t tell Isaac was a wolf when you bumped into him? Didn’t he smell like one?”

A sharp exhale from Naja’s nostrils showed her displeasure at the question. “It’s not like I knew what a werewolf smelled like, in general. It’s not the same as the scent of a person or feeling. I had never met a werewolf before I came to Beacon Hills. And,” a finger was held up as she continued to write in her notebook. “Scott didn’t really help. I mean, I knew what his scent was; I sit beside him every day. But to separate the wolf scent, I needed a comparison. Now I know what they smell like.”

“Kind of like...” Her eyes closed as she breathed in deeply; as if that would help recall the scent. “There’s how the person smells, but with a lingering tinge of something else. Not overpowering, like cigarette smoke. But like when you walk through a garden and the scent clings to your clothes, but faintly. Except instead of florals, it’s kind of musky, or earthy. Females smell the same, which I wasn’t expecting.”

The explanation was followed by more silence as Cassie pondered what smelling people so intensely would be like, and Naja exerted the same amount of thought towards hydrocarbons. Being someone who only did the work when it would be checked, Cassie always became ever so bored when she was there to help her best friend with hers. She rolled around some more on her friend’s bed, the shirt tied around her waist getting all tangled until she stopped, an evil grin creeping over her face. “You know, a certain dimple-faced boy also had his jaw hit the floor today. How uh, how’d you feel about that?”

A withering glare challenged her grin, but was followed by an exaggerated shoulder roll as Naja pretended not to care. It didn’t last very long. “Yeah well. I bet if I dressed like that, and not in chunky sweaters, Stiles would look at me like that too. But…it’s cold! Where is my jungle climate, or the Savannah? What is this ten-degree weather!” she griped, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Putting pencil back down to paper, Naja sighed. “Besides, he’s going skating with Lydia today. Well, and Scott and Allison. But obviously, he’s trying to get Lydia to notice him.”

Cassie fixed her with a level stare. “…you really need to stop creeping on their conversations, Nana. I mean, one, it’s a huge invasion of their privacy,” the lecturer began, ticking off a finger for each point. “Two, it’s really creepy. Three, what if you brought up something you couldn’t possibly have heard when you actually talk to him, and he gets all suspicious and stuff. And four, when it’s things like that, you get sad. What if you listened in on a conversation between him and Scott, and he was saying he’d boned a chick? Hm? What then?”

Grey eyes blinked blankly back at the girl, before turning their attention back to the textbook. “Well, obviously I’d go tear the girl to pieces. And then go cry in the corner like a regular person. After burning the evidence, of course,” came the explanation, a little too naturally. The only hint that she wasn’t serious was the slight quiver of the corner of her lip. “…although, with all the murders that get covered up as animal attacks, I could probably leave it in the middle of a public place and people would be like, ‘Oh, those darn mountain lions again!’ And then just go on with their lives.” 

They giggled for a while until suddenly Naja sat up straight, eyes wide, and looked around the room. “Did you hear that?”

“Was it my stomach growling? Because that, I heard.”

“No, it sounded like Lydia…but that doesn’t make any sense. We’re nowhere near the ice rink,” she paused, head tilting to one side as if that could help identify the sound she had just heard. A beat later, she shrugged it off. “Oh well, I must have heard something else…”

“Yeah, like maybe my sister singing outside of the soundproof room,” Cassie joked, sitting up on the bed. “Just kidding, that would be real bad for everyone within earshot.”

Laughing, Naja stood, threading her fingers together and pressing them out above her head, a nice pop and crack audible. Once thoroughly stretched she patted her friend on the head. “Since I’m not a mindless zombie, how about I make some dinner – your growling stomach is breaking my concentration.”


	3. Swimming in the Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Stiles doesn’t actually have any bruise on his head, however, the force which would have been needed to knock him unconscious would have left a mark.

The fact that Stiles Stilinski had discovered a murder victim at the garage spread through the school like wildfire. All throughout Economics, Naja had been thinking of how to talk to him. Should she pretend to be all scared and worried and innocent sounding? No, that wouldn’t be her. She didn’t want him to think she was fake if he got to know the real Naja Dinan. Maybe something about how a lot of people seemed to die in this town, compared to other ones she’d lived in. Except the Savannah. There was a lot of death there. Although that was mainly animals killing other animals. For food. To survive.

It all sounded stupid, so Naja threw her head back and groaned. “I just have no idea how to talk to normal people.”

Everyone in school seemed to know each other, which made sense in a small town. What didn’t make sense was that Allison, who had moved even more recently than she had, was fitting in so well. She chalked that up to growing up on another continent. Probably.

“Just do it. ‘That sucks about that dead guy, and your Jeep,’” was the advice Cassie offered, accompanied by the shrug of a single shoulder. “What’s going to happen? He’ll ignore you? You know he’s not like that. If anything, you’ll need to get him to shut up after mentioning his car.”

Naja pursed her lips as she mulled over the logical points. He did love his Jeep, and Stiles Stilinski was one of the nicest people she had ever met. It was what she liked most about him. Her best friend was right; honestly, what could go wrong? She was still struggling for the right words, though the bruise on the side of his head creeping into his short cropped hair gave her the segue she needed. “Hey, Stiles?” she half whispered across the lab bench, waiting until he turned towards her to lean forward on her stool. “What happened to your head?” She reached towards him, but paused and pulled her hand back to touch her own temple. “Is it from the… _incident_ last night?”

He squinted in confusion for a second, before mouthing an ‘ohhh’, and shaking his head. “No, the uh, that guy was already dead. Nothing dangerous to me was there. Only a dead guy.” He laughed awkwardly, shifting his gaze side to side. “I just,” he paused to gingerly touch the welt on his temple. “Hit my head on my Jeep.”

He wore a sour expression as he reflected on something, which gave Naja the feeling that he wasn’t telling her the truth. At least, not the whole truth. But she wasn’t a mind reader, and was desperate to keep the conversation going. “That sucks, and about your Jeep – I saw Scott give you a ride today,” she followed quickly, trying not to sound too creepy. Cassie was always reminding her that people were not comfortable with being noticed all the time.

He nodded in agreement, and then looked at her. Actually looked at her. Not the way you look at someone in conversation, but as if he was seeing her for the first time. Stiles squinted and tilted his head to the side, as if trying to recall something. “You’re from South Africa right? Why no accent? It’s kind of like Australian, but not quite?”

She laughed a little, rolling her eyes. Though fully surprised he knew what the accent sounded like. “You’d be surprised how often I get asked that. But I wasn’t only in South Africa – I lost my accent a little while ago. I mean, I still say things like lift, instead of elevator, sammie instead of sandwich. I sometimes still say ‘izit?’instead of ‘is it,’ or ‘really,’” Naja explained, a smile playing about her lips. She was doing her best not to break out into a full grin because he remembered! About her!

That’s right, didn’t you give a presentation about the places you lived the other week?”

“Yeah, just a short one. I moved around a lot as a kid; I spent some time in Kenya, the Congo, Burma, Sri Lanka, and then a bit around America, before-“

“Miss Dinan, Mr. Stilinski. Am I boring you?” 

An unimpressed stare was fixed on them over the top of their teacher’s glasses, his mouth set in a thin line. There was a split second of panic in Naja’s eyes before they darted to the chalkboard behind him. The panic melted into a cool air of innocence as she spoke. “Of course not, Mr. Harris. Although, since you’re taking up the homework from last night…you switched the answers for question seven and question nine. Probably just a slip of the hand.”

“Just like that decimal place one over in number ten,” Cassie piped up, winking at her friend from across the room. The fact that they weren’t able to sit together two days in a row was truly a crime. Even if they only half paid attention to the lessons when they were together.

“Don’t worry, everyone makes mistakes.” Naja did her best to hold back any amusement from her face, keeping her eyes wide and innocent.

He muttered something about long nights as he corrected the board, and she turned her smirk back to the handsome dimpled creature in front of her – only to see the back of his head. He’d started speaking urgently to Scott, and it was clear he wasn’t going to turn back around. A frustrated sigh escaped Naja’s lips as she went back to checking her work.

 

Later that night, Naja was sitting on a bench in the girl’s locker room, waiting for Cassie. She was humming to herself, pressing her palms into the bench so her butt was off the seat and she could swing her legs side to side. “I actually spoke to him twice today – did you see at lunch?” she called, to easily be heard inside the bathrooms.

“I did, sort of. He was running around like an idiot. Isn’t he on the lacrosse team? Shouldn’t he be used to running?” came the muted response, as well as a bang accompanied by a curse. Cassie must have hit her elbow changing in the stall. “You’d think they’d put in actual change rooms for a pool…”

Still trapped in her own world, she didn’t even register her friend’s comment. “It’s funny you say that. I was giggling. I think. I hope it came across cute, and not like an actual laugh that made him feel like an idiot. I hope not,” Naja started nervously, a worried look crossing her face. “And I touched his arm, and asked if he wanted any assistance, it looked like he was a little out of breath, carrying messages between Romeo and Juliet. I think I mentioned how creepy it was her Grandpa was the principal-“

“Which it is, and totally sucks for them. And like, isn’t her mom the secretary?” Cassie asked, walking out of the bathroom area, changed into a simple black one-piece swimsuit.

Naja nodded slowly, wondering what that would be like. To have an overbearing family presence. If it would be as nerve-wracking as Allison’s. Any family presence would be welcomed. Naja’s thoughts were scrawled all over her face, and she received a nudge. “And so what happened?”

“Oh, well,” she began, a full shift in her mood as a grin spread across her face. “He smiled, laughed a little, and shrugged. He said he was fine, it was just like a lacrosse drill. Just a warm-up for the game tonight – which he hopes to play in. But he smiled at me. Like, at me. And said he’d talk to me later!” 

Cassie shook her head and rolled her eyes, lip pulled back in obvious disgust as she watched her friend roll around on the bench in excitement. “You have a serious problem.”  
Sitting up straight, Naja pouted. “You just wait until you like somebody, who doesn’t notice you, and then they actually start to. I won’t stick my nose up at whatever ridiculous stuff _you_ do.”

“Whatever man.” Cassie rolled her eyes again, slowly sliding across the floor towards the door. “But, I do need to say thank you for always coming swimming with me instead of going to watch the games. I hope you know that means a lot,” the ginger-haired girl began, shuffling a little awkwardly. Heartfelt moments were not her thing. “Instead of stalking your spastic love. Who doesn’t even play in half his team’s games.”

She received a playful shove as Naja followed her down the corridor. “Whatever, if he actually plays in the game tonight, I will be miffed that I missed it. But otherwise, it’s fine. Besides, then I’d miss studying together, and dinner with your family.” Naja paused to look around the underlit area they’d walked into. The odd reflections of the tiny current in the pool around the large space made her shudder. “I mean, how creepy would it be swimming here all alone?” 

“Believe me, it was all kinds of creepy. I think I actually swam faster so I could leave. I didn’t really enjoy that feeling of ‘I’ll be murdered when my head breaks out of the water,’” Cassie responded, smiling wryly. 

There was a bit of awkward silence between them while they carefully walked across the wet floor. Naja had didn’t think often that there had been a year of high school where Cassie was all alone. She couldn’t imagine her petite friend not being able to express her snarky comments. Accompanied by bullies, it must have been an awful experience. Especially since one of the worst offenders was someone who should have had Cassie’s back. 

She was about to say something when the sound of splashing interrupted her thoughts. She grabbed Cassie’s shoulder, motioning for her to be quiet. Shaking her head and holding her hand up, Naja walked up and poked her head slowly around the bleachers. She had to cover her own mouth to stop from yelling in surprise at what she saw. 

A giant lizard-type thing was prowling around the pool, inch long claws clicking on the cement, terrifying tail swinging behind it. Cassie stood on tip-toe to look over her shoulder and would have screamed if Naja hadn’t clapped a hand over her mouth too. Frantic arm movements tried to convey something, but Naja wasn’t watching. Instead, her eyes were glued to the source of the splashing – Stiles was in the pool. He was supporting someone whose head kept dipping below the water, and Stiles wasn’t much better. Stiles was in the pool. With that monster just waiting. She moved forward on instinct, only to have her arm yanked back by the full weight of her petite friend.

“Are you insane?! What is that thing?! Is that even real?! What do you think you’re _doing_?” Cassie hissed, her eyes wide as dinner plates, fear written all over her face. Her nails were dug so hard into her friend’s arm that little half-moon indents were already filling with blood. 

“I don’t know! I don’t know everything about everything! But Stiles is in the pool! And he’s going to drown if I don’t do anything!” she whispered back, removing friend’s hand off of her arm as gently as she could. The blood was dripping down her arm, though the cuts were no longer visible. Naja’s face was etched with determination, but her thoughts were flying as wildly as her heart was beating. What the hell was that thing? How long had they been in the water? Could she have already saved him, if she’d been paying more attention? She wasn’t listening to Cassie warning her it was too dangerous. And wasn’t that Derek Hale? What was he doing in a high school pool? Had they fallen in together, or was Stiles just willing to risk his life to save someone else? The questions piling up in her head were pushed out by the thing screaming.

She looked around the bleachers again to see Stiles attempt to grab onto the starting block. She almost cried out and bolted when they slipped below the water, but were yanked up by Scott before she had taken two steps. Breathing a sigh of relief, her hands were beginning to tremble from the adrenaline coursing through her. 

“See, now everything will be ok Nana,” Cassie whispered, gripping her friend’s shoulder.

Naja was about to nod in agreement, but the lizard throw Scott into a mirror froze her halfway through. Every muscle tensed in anticipation, adrenaline firing through her at double time. But then the creature suddenly fled through the skylight. They stayed behind the corner until the others left. Derek carried Erica off while Scott and Stiles mumbled something about a USB drive and a bestiary. Had Erica been there the whole time? The chlorine must have been masking everyone’s scents. 

“Definitely a good thing I didn’t go swimming alone tonight.”


	4. Experimentation

In Economics the next day the girls were doing their best to look as if they were paying attention. In reality, they were looking at some printed out pages Cassie had just pulled out of her backpack. “Last night when we got home, I went and asked mom about a bestiary – I thought I’d seen one in storage while I was looking for something. She told me it was old, mostly in Italian, and only about creatures that were around that part of the world. I told her about that…. _thing_ we saw last night, and she said it wasn’t in the book, but she’d heard of it before; it’s called a-“

“Kanima?” Naja interrupted, raising an eyebrow. Her friend was taken aback until she jerked her head to where Coach was yelling at Jackson Whitmore. After he walked away, she stared on, her face becoming paler. “Lydia might be in trouble.” 

“For what? From what? The thing? The Kanima? Is it going to kill her? Should I care? I don’t even know what the thing entirely is, let alone what it wants! Just that I want it so very, very far away from me!” As the questions poured ever quicker from her lips, Cassie’s eyes widened, progressively sliding down in her seat. The knuckles gripping the edge of her chair grew paler as her breath became increasingly shallow. Naja could understand that – she had seen some crazy things, but that lizard thing freaked her right out.

“No, not that. Isaac and Erica. They think _she_ is the Kanima…or Derek does. Or something. Not entirely sure what Derek has to do with it. Unless he’s been the one running around creating werewolves all willy-nilly. But whatever they’re doing, it is going to happen in Chemistry. We need to help her!” Naja hissed, her eyes darting to Lydia as she walked up to the board.

“Well, what if it is her? I mean, she’s pretty evil. Not as bad as my sister, but still,” was the rebuttal, though Cassie grew more concerned as she watched the scene before them unfold.

The entire class sat in shocked silence as Lydia, crying to the point of nearly sobbing, wrote the same thing over and over on the chalkboard. Coach laughed about it being a different language, and Naja turned around, lip curled in confusion. “They do see it says ‘Someone Help Me,’ right? Are they all dumb?”

“This is Beacon Hills remember. No great minds have emerged from here,” Cassie scoffed, lips pulling into a wry smile. She turned to look at Lydia, cheeks streaked with tears and mascara. Her jaw clenched as she tapped her fingers on her desk. “Are you sure it’s not her?”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with her, but I’m about ninety-five percent sure she isn’t the Kanima. Because she definitely isn’t scaring the hell out of me.”

 

Before the bell dinged in Chemistry to signal the start of class, the best friends watched Scott and Stiles clamor to sit beside Lydia, and breathed an audible sigh of relief. Which was short lived as they were told they’d be rotating for the experiment. Naja shot her friend a look, and received a nod in response, as she kept one eye on the experiment, one on Lydia. Not that anyone would be listening to their conversation – nobody ever noticed them anyway – but with so many werewolves in one room, they couldn’t be too careful. It would be hard to be helpful if Isaac and Erica tried to avoid them.

Naja listened in on the conversations between Erica and Scott, and Stiles and Isaac, grinding her teeth a little harder as they made it clear they weren’t backing down. When Erica sat down beside her, still glancing over at Lydia, Naja took a deep breath to calm her temper. She was always being told to stay separate, fly under the radar. Stop getting noticed. It always started out that way, but innocent people in distress were always her undoing. 

She wanted to keep her promise; no trouble this time. However, she had begun to wonder if they’d put her in Beacon Hills because they thought it would be quiet. Or if they’d known all along what it was like. Either way, it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. 

“Leave Lydia alone.”

The blonde bombshell nearly laughed at the blanket statement, especially since Naja wasn’t even looking at her. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she replied, her new signature smirk spreading across her face. 

Another deep breath, hoping it would be more calming than the first. It wasn’t. “Yes you do, Erica. I’m warning you now - don’t touch her.”

Erica actually laughed, somehow both mocking and melodic. She leaned in close, voice barely above a whisper. “You have no idea what you’re messing with, Naja,”she replied snidely, reaching across her for a flask. 

Her own name had never sounded like an insult before, and she didn’t like it.

“Do you?” Naja retorted, grabbing the blonde’s wrist firmly. She locked eyes and didn’t waver, even when Erica tried to use her full strength to rip her arm away. Naja let go when the other girl pulled back with her full weight, almost falling off the stool. 

She couldn’t stop the smile from reaching her eyes as she went back to the experiment, Erica looking at her incredulously. Though it quickly turned to murderous intent, which Naja ignored. “Oops. Be careful, there must be something on the floor there.”

She heard Erica growl under her breath as she moved to the next station, leaving the very hint of a smile playing on Naja’s lips. A familiar scent filled her nostrils as Isaac sat down beside her. She felt him staring while she did her part of the experiment, and she rolled her shoulders before staring right back. “Can I help you?” she snapped, putting the stir stick back down. Naja’s irritation at being stared at was only bolstered by Erica’s condescending attitude. “You’re supposed to be helping with this. So, is there something on my face?”

“Huh?” 

“In my hair, a mark on my shirt or something?” she asked slowly, wondering why she had to spell it out for him. The genuine confusion written on his face gave her pause. Maybe she had been too amped up and jumped down his throat for no reason. Naja cleared her throat to try and reduce some of the malice before clarifying. “You’re staring at me?”

He shifted uncomfortably on his stool, moving some of the things on the bench around. “Oh. I just saw you get into it with Erica. Not many people do that. Lately, anyway,” he said, hitting the flask she had just been stirring with his elbow. 

The panicked expression on his face as it tumbled towards the tile floor almost made her feel sorry for him. The old acrid smell of fear seeped out of the back of her mind, and before she could stop herself, she reacted.

There was a slight ting sound as Naja caught it between her thumb and forefinger, the base resting on the toe of her Chucks. She pulled it back up and placed it on the table, meeting his mystified stare with a steady blink. She was borderline robotic as she resumed the experiment, doing her best not to look at him again. “Be more careful. Do you even know what we are making? Who knows what could mix with a gross school floor.”

At the same time, a highly irritated Erica was sitting beside Cassie, who was tugging on the neon blue lock in her bangs. She glanced over at the cool - if not annoyed - confidence of her best friend and took a deep breath. She might not be super strong like Erica. Or have sharp fangs. Or claws. Or be able to heal quickly. Or have really anything useful in a quick fight – or any fight. The thought of Erica trying to fight her in the middle of class was ridiculous. Cassie shook her head hard, releasing the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. 

She began to sing softly under her breath, almost inaudible if you weren’t sitting right beside her. Or if you had super hearing. “I breathe you in with smoke, in the backyard lights, we used to laugh until we choked, into the wasted night,” she sang, causing Erica to stare at her.

“What are you – “

Erica didn’t get to finish her sentence as Cassie watched her voice fill her head. It was as if just moving her arm to do her part of the experiment was like swimming through syrup. Her eyes began to glaze over the longer Cassie was singing – and then the bell for switching stations dinged. She got up, looking a little disoriented, but still staring at Lydia. “Dammit!” Cassie cursed under her breath. “I only needed one more minute…or maybe a different song? Mom doesn’t even really want to talk about-”

Naja plopped onto the stool beside her, Cassie nearly jumped out of her skin. “Jesus Nana, don’t do that!” she hissed, clenching her hands into fists in her lap. “I almost had a heart attack!” Her gaze held the back of the blonde’s head. “She’s scary, and that’s without changing at all.”

Naja nearly snorted with laughter. “Yeah, she’s a bit of a psycho. But I think I got to her,” she smirked, putting the finishing touches on their experiment. “Not that she has any idea what happened. Just very confused. And annoyed that I might be stronger than her. Which, for the record, I totally am. Probably.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not!” came the same irritated hiss.

Any further discussion on Cassie’s fairly legitimate fear was put on hold as they were told their experiments should be edible crystals. Both girls snapped their necks around to Lydia right before Scott yelled out her name. The gloppy substance sticking to the rock crystal, combined with her genuine confusion over Scott’s outburst, made Naja pale. Watching as Erica and Isaac shared a look, Cassie clamped her hand onto her friend’s arm. “I don’t think that’s a good sign.”


	5. Revelation

They were supposed to be studying in the library, like normal teenagers. Naja was the only one with her nose in a book. Cassie, on the other hand, was panicking. She’d been freaking out since Chemistry, continuously looking over her shoulder as if Erica were right behind her. Ready to tear her to pieces. “I don’t even know why you’re freaking out,” Naja mumbled through her marker cap as she highlighted in her World History textbook. “She doesn’t even know you did anything, just that you were weirdly singing during class. I’m the one she’s actually mad at.” 

“Then how are you so calm?! She could be right here, ready to try and rip you to pieces,” the petite girl cried, shaking the table. She either didn’t notice or didn’t care about the stares she was getting from other students.

“Calm yourself, woman,” Naja commanded, her narrowed gaze stilling her friend. “How does something like this make you nervous? You’re the one always giving a big middle finger to the world. Just imagine she’s part of the world you’re giving the middle finger to.” She would have continued but caught a glimpse of curly blonde hair and a melodic laugh pass the library door. An idea pulled the corner of her mouth into a smirk. “Pretend she’s Eve. You’re not scared of _Eve_ , are you?”

Almost instantly, Cassie sat erect, top lip curled in disgust, fists slamming down on the table. “Of course I’m not!” The clear hatred for her sister flashed in her eyes as her clenched hands rested on the tabletop. They trembled as she worked herself up, letting her anger push the fear aside. “Yeah, who says there gets to be two gorgeous blondes in this school? If that bitch comes near me, I’ll punch her right in that pouty face. Thinking they can do whatever they want because they make people’s jaws drop when they walk into a room… Self-entitled, no-good attention whores, I’ll show her!” 

“I’m not sure who you’re talking about hitting anymore, your sister or Erica. But maybe head-butting her would be more effective,” Naja teased. “Maybe your stud would cut her.”  
Her friend absentmindedly ran her fingertips over the stud in her nose, nodding slowly in agreement. “Hey, did you want to pierce your lip again tonight? You could freak her out by not having a scar the next day, never mind no hole in your face,” Cassie offered absentmindedly. 

Her eyes were still trained on the door where her sister had walked by. Whatever violent fantasy she had been picturing, she sighed and turned back to Naja. Cassie tilted her head to the side as she examined her friend. A smirk crept across her features as the fire of hate dwindled to a hot ember. “Who knows, Stiles could have a thing for edgy? Or just lip piercings? You never know before you try.”

Before Naja could respond, a flicker in her peripherals caught her eye, and she whipped her head around to see Isaac holding Matt by the collar. She didn’t bother to listen to their conversation as she watched Lydia, accompanied by a protective detail, sneak out the back door. Turning back to Cassie, she started throwing her things into her backpack. “I don’t think we’ll have time for that.”

The two werewolves searching the library fed into their urgency, and they ran out. Naja led the way, following the scent of the group that had left ahead of them. They arrived just in time to see Stiles’ Jeep speed off. 

“Come on,” Cassie instructed, running ahead of her friend towards her car. She unlocked the doors and quickly tossed the keys over her shoulder, where Naja caught them with ease. “You drive.”

 

Realizing they were headed to Scott’s house, Naja took a different route and parked a street away. While the silence in the car filled with suspicion, Cassie kept her mouth shut for once. Naja was content with the less than subtle stare, just glad that she didn’t need to explain why she knew where he lived. Following someone who didn’t smell human was definitely leaps and bounds away from normal. That and her interest in Stiles had led to her overhearing some interesting conversations.

When Cassie got out of the car, she looked a little green, mumbling something about speed and corners. It took her a moment to follow Naja into someone’s backyard because she had to rest her hands on her knees and breathe slowly. The only thought she had as she was all but tossed up onto the roof was that she hoped nobody was home to hear an awkward landing on their roof. Which was soon followed by the tosser pulling herself up over the gutter and army crawling to the peak of the roof. They were on the house almost dead parallel with Scott’s, watching intently. After a few minutes, a whispered, “What are we looking for,” escaped Cassie’s lips, although her question was answered as Derek and the new werewolves appeared. She mouthed an ‘oh,’ in response to the flat stare she was given, and sank a little lower behind the crest.

Naja was practically peeling shingles off in unease as she watched the four eyeing the house, wondering what would happen next. “That explains what Derek had to do with it. I was wondering why a grown ass man was always seen with teenagers. Wolves and their need for packs…” she mumbled under her breath, shaking her head. Her eyes roamed all over the house, counting entry points and playing through strategies they might employ. If only she knew any of the people well, a guess could be closer. She gasped when Isaac disappeared, ready to spring right off the roof until Cassie’s bodyweight landed on top of her. 

“What are you doing?! Are you _trying_ to die? You can’t fight all of them alone!” she hissed, trying to hold on while the girl beneath her was twisting violently. “Not without a plan, not without knowing their plan!”

“Nobody there has any defense! What if Stiles gets hurt? Scott isn’t here, what if they all die? What if Lydia dies, since that’s their goal anyway? Will that be worth protecting myself? Keeping a promise I’ve broken for less? What about them?!” Naja’s response came out very close to a sob as she watched Erica disappear too. What was the point of strength, if she didn’t protect anyone?

Cassie sighed and loosened her grip. She knew if Naja was really ready to break her oath that her limited strength would be nothing anyway. “Allison is a hunter…sort of. In training, I think you said? She wouldn’t go unprepared-“ Her consoling speech was interrupted as crashing and breaking echoed out of the house into the street. Both girls stared at the front door, their eyes drawn to some movement in the curtains. “I’m sure everything’s fine. It’s all – what the heck was that?!”

Naja’s head snapped to look towards an open window; which was empty. “I’m already ready to tear people to pieces, what are you trying to do here?!” she hissed, tearing her friend off her back with one arm.

“I swear, something was there! Look, it’s Allison, why is she rolling that arrow on the window sill?” 

“I don’t know,” Naja replied, getting poised on all fours. “But I have to do something before anyone gets hurt, if they haven’t been already.” She started to creep down the front of the roof, ready to jump on Derek, when a roar came from inside the house. She grinned while scrambling back behind the crest of the roof. Watching the door get thrown open and Isaac and Erica getting tossed out, she had to stop herself from whooping triumphantly. “Thank God! Scott!” He didn’t even need to be visible for her to know that roar belonged to him. Something familiar about it, like the tone in someone’s voice, brought a tear to her eye. Which was quickly wiped away.

It wasn’t too hard to hear what they were saying, although both girls weren’t entirely listening. They were too busy going pale, watching the giant lizard crawl along the roof. Nobody else noticed it until it roared and ran off, which was when Lydia ran out the front door. “It’s Jackson!” the girls cried in unison, jaws nearly hitting the roof. 

Naja watched it run away; Derek’s pack just standing in the middle of the street. The wind changed, and she watched Isaac sniff the air, looking around. “Time to go,” she half-whispered, dragging an all too willing Cassie to the edge of the roof. She jumped gracefully off the roof, landing easily in a crouch, and looked up.

“Go on, chase it. I know you want to,” Cassie commanded, edging towards the downspout. “I’ll be fine, Nana. Go!”

Leaving a little reluctantly, Naja had to run through a few more yards to make sure Isaac wouldn’t see her. He’d recognized her scent, and that was a little disconcerting. He knew what she smelled like? Kind of creepy. She tried not to let it bother her as she ran in the direction she’d seen the Kanima run off in. And the fact that she knew the scent of many people she wasn’t friends with, including Isaac, was pushed away as well. She cursed reptiles for not really having a scent, and ran all over the place trying to catch even a whiff of anything that didn’t belong. After ten minutes, she yelled out in frustration, and leaves shook off of trees. “Goddammit Jackson!”

It took her a while to run back because she took the road and didn’t want anyone to see her running faster than a regular human. The entire time, she was thinking about the Kanima, if she’d ever heard anything about it. There had been no recognition when the others had called out. Jackson didn’t even have a motive to attack anyone. Not really. It didn’t seem to know what it was, or who it was. Was that why it had left Scott alone at the pool? Seeing itself in the mirror? “Ugh, Delu, why can’t you have a phone!” she cried out, exasperated. Beacon Hills was always full of more questions than answers.


	6. Discoveries and Sparks

Running back into Scott’s neighbourhood, Naja watched as a pair of headlights drove straight towards her. Ready to sprint in another direction, she was relieved when Cassie threw open the passenger door. Though the fact that it was with some obvious difficulty made her smile. 

“Derek ran off, and Stiles ‘n Scott followed him in the Jeep,” Cassie recounted, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel in excitement as her friend climbed in. “I don’t know how he’s finding it when you couldn’t, but I kind of…snuck my phone into the Jeep before they left?” She wasn’t sure if she would be ashamed or proud of her ingenuity. Not that she’d thought through how to get it back. “I called my dad on your phone and he’s following them along for us. Pretty sure I’ll get scolded when I get home. But he’s still texting us updates and if they stop anywhere for a prolonged amount of time. They’re still driving around, and have kind of a head start, but still.”

Naja stretched her legs out, using them to adjust the chair properly as she pulled her long hair into a ponytail. She was definitively proud of the risk Cassie had taken. “You know,” she began, her friend peeling away from the curb. “You seem decidedly less cynical. Like, quite a lot. Do you have a fever or something?”

Cassie slapped the hand that was teasingly stretched out with a scowl. “Shut up. There are lives at stake, and like, being part of something like that is really cool. In the moment. Or maybe the impending moment, because I’m pretty scared in the actual moment. Maybe there’s too much adrenaline for me to be snappy,” Cassie rambled, her driving verging onto a Naja level of speed.

Nodding in understanding, she picked up her phone and began directing Cassie. Naja was glad for this temporary change in attitude. Don’t get her wrong – she loved the snarkiness and all around ‘who cares?’ attitude – but a variation was entirely welcome. Especially in tense situations like this. Having a partner in craziness was new and exciting.  
They followed direction and arrived outside of a club. The one who had lived in Beacon Hills her entire life tried to call her friend back from the neon Jungle. But she just ran right up to the line. Then promptly turned right around again. “…they’re all guys,” she stated, looking over her shoulder at the club, a slightly clueless expression on her face.

“Yes, doofus,” Cassie replied flatly. “That’s normally how gay clubs work.”

“Oh…ohhhhh, that makes sense.”

They stood, looking at the glowing sign for a few minutes. “Well…I think Scott can handle this one,” Naja said, walking back to the passenger’s side of the vehicle. She figured it would definitely look odd if they walked in. If they were even allowed in, in the first place. She barely knew how a regular club worked, let alone a gay club. Did they need fake IDs? Where did people even get those?

About to get back in the car, her hand paused on the handle as she watched Cassie creeping over to a Jeep. “Right. Stiles’ Jeep,” she murmured, resting her arms on the roof of the car. Naja had to hand it to her best friend. She was decidedly less conspicuous than she’d thought she could be. No silly, overexaggerated walk. Smooth and casual, even looking in her bag as if she were trying to find something. Surprisingly she opened the door and retrieved her phone, flashing Naja a grin before strolling casually over. 

The drive back to their apartment building was a silent, contemplative one. Why was Jackson doing these things? There was no way he knew what he was doing, did he? Would everything – and everyone - be ok? Had Isaac seen them on the roof? Was Naja going to pass the Econ midterm the next day? A lot of questions were bouncing around their heads, and two managed to escape Naja’s lips while they walked into their building’s lobby. “What’s on your butt? And was that rip there before?” she queried, pointing at her friend’s backside. When she was only met with silence, a sly grin spread across her face. “You fell off the downspout, didn’t you?” More silence, and she could feel the glower even though Cassie refused to look at her. “You did! Oh man, that’s fantastic. I wish I could have seen it!”

The petite girl glared up at her, though it didn’t stop her from laughing as they got into the elevator. “Shut up. Not everyone has supernatural reflexes. And it was more like an uncontrolled slide than anything else. My knee caught on the bracket holding the downspout to the house and I hung there for a second before dropping on my ass,” she seethed, shoulders drawing up around her ears. “At least I know what a gay club looks like. Hairflip.” She tossed her growing pixie cut, flicking her imaginary hair over her shoulder with a smooth roll of her wrist. The girls broke out laughing as they got off the elevator, and Cassie gave her friend a questioning glance. “Something wrong with your apartment?”

“I want to talk to your mom about the book. Or just what she knows about the Kanima,” she explained, throwing open the apartment door. “Mama Nicchi, we’re home!”

Naja always liked to look at Christiana Nicchi; she looked so elegant, even in her pajamas. Slim like both of her daughters, though her skin was a rich olive tone, even in the middle of winter. Her hugs were also the warmest, like the ones she was giving them at that moment. “How was your night, girls? Anything exciting?” Before waiting for an answer, she breezed into the kitchen. “Hot cocoa?”

“Pretty good. We found out who the Kanima is. I almost ran into Jungle without understanding I might get stared at. And of course, hot cocoa,” Naja explained, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. She also loved how her friend’s mother didn’t even blink at anything she said. Ever. And she had said some pretty crazy things.

“Oh my, that _is_ a productive day! Who is it? The legends I have heard have all been males, so I’m guessing it’s a young man,” she offered, getting two mugs easily out of the top cupboard. 

The girls sat at the island, nodding their heads. “Lydia’s boyfriend – well, ex-boyfriend, but still – Jackson Whitmore. You remember him right? Kind of angular features, eyes, muscles, stuff like that. Human things,” Cassie stated awkwardly; talking about popular kids always made her uncomfortable.

“Oh dear, that’s not good. And I’m guessing you have no idea who is controlling him, do you?”

A few beats of silence followed the question. “Say what now?”

The raven-haired woman turned to face the two at the counter, placing their full mugs in front of them. “You don’t know?” she asked openly. The blank looks she received answered well enough. “Well, the Kanima is a South American legend. Which I think I told you before. That it’s a tool of vengeance, used to kill murderers.”

“What? You never said anything about vengeance and murderers or being controlled before!” Cassie exclaimed, looking at Naja with wide eyes. “Hold on. Or the part about all the ones you knew being dudes!”

“No, I’m sure I did. That’s pretty much all I know about it, though,” Mrs. Nicchi stated, a tad airily, turning back to the sink to finish the dishes.

“No, mom. You definitely didn’t say anything about that. South American, yes. Murdering murderers, nope. Having someone control it, no, no you did not,” Cassie huffed. Her hands squished her cheeks up around eyes, making her look slightly ridiculous.

“You’re all just a bunch of nerds.” 

The snide voice from behind them caused Cassie to let her head slip off her hands onto the counter with a resounding thud. “Eve. Smart people are talking about things you need a brain to understand. Important things. People are dying. Go back to whatever mindless thing you were doing,” she grumbled, rolling her head and smushing her nose against the counter. Her buxom sister came up behind and flicked her in the head.

“Whatever, loser. This is boring. Nobody I know is dying. Maybe if you used your gift you’d just get your answers. Oh, wait. We can’t,” she said, making a face at the back of her mother’s head.

Lifting her head, Cassie queried, “Does murdering people’s social lives count as murder? Will the Kanima come after Eve? She’s made a bunch of people commit social suicide.”  
“Girls,” their mother warned, turning around with a towel between her hands, already wound. “Enough. Evangeline, don’t be awful. Cassandra, don’t respond to bullies - they eventually get bored.”

The sisters stared each other down until Eve walked down the hall to her room, slamming the door. “Well, I don’t think there’s anything we can do tonight,” Naja sighed, holding her cocoa under her nose. She swirled the contents of the mug, watching the slight dip in the center as she heaved another heavy sigh. “Did you still want to pierce my lip, Cass?” She wasn’t exactly in the mood for getting stabbed in the face, but her friend was practically shaking with tension; piercing always made her more relaxed.

“Yeah, sure,” she replied, perking up. “You still never told me about the murderer part, mom. But I will let it go if you make me an amazing breakfast. And some leftovers for the one who forgets to eat.”

Her mother laughed and agreed as the girls walked down the hallway, disappearing into Cassie’s room. A few minutes later, a terrifying snarl echoed through the apartment. Naja emerged, rubbing near her slightly swollen lip where a metal ring now gleamed. Her pout was heavy as she waved goodnight to Mrs. Nicchi.

Another great sigh escaped when she opened her apartment door, just a floor above her friend’s. Nothing in her training had prepared her for this kind of thing. Control, sure. Remaining hidden, sure. Zip about what to do with supernatural threats. Rules definitely needed to be adjusted, clarified. OR just pain broken, which was what Naja feared she was running towards. Again. 

“Ohhh, my precious babies,” she cooed, hearts nearly dripping from her words as the floor around her feet started writhing and purring. She closed the door, only the light of the moon filtering through her curtains, as she sank to the floor, her cats rubbing up against her. “I’m sorry I was gone so long, I missed you too! …ow! Desta! Be careful of my lip!”

 

The next day, the school was abuzz with the information of Jackson being missing. The girls had shared a knowing but relieved look while they were taking their midterm, happy that Scott had worked things out. Whatever it was that he had done, exactly. They were starting to put a lot of trust in the young werewolf, even if he didn’t know it.

Naja told Cassie to go ahead and find a seat for lunch because she had to go over some things with her Art teacher. She had just closed her locker when a familiar scent flooded her nose. “Hey,” Isaac greeted smoothly, his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. She could practically feel the self-assured smile.

“Isaac,” she replied shortly, turning to face him. The amount of confidence he had gained by becoming a werewolf continued to astound her, though it wasn’t betrayed by her cool exterior. “May I help you with something?”

“Yeah, you see – wait, your lip wasn’t pierced yesterday, was it?” he asked, leaning closer to inspect her bottom lip.

She leaned back twice as far, an expression of ‘way too close,’ plastered on her features. “No, it wasn’t. What an observation. It’s like people can change their appearance, or something. Back it up there, buddy,” she instructed, extending a hand between her face and his, standing upright again after he had pulled back.

“So did you get that pierced before or after you were at Scott’s last night?” he queried, his blue gaze turning ever so slightly icy.

“What? I have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t even know where Scott lives, let alone get invited to whatever happened there last night,” she said flatly, moving to walk past him. “You must have been on something pretty heavy to thi-“

Her ears pinned back in surprise as his arm shot out, slamming his hand into the lockers in front of her with a bang. It was inches from her nose as she once again turned to face him, tilting her head slightly to look him in the eye. A heavy sigh was followed by the set of Naja’s jaw and arms crossing over her chest. He was really good at finding to be the most aggravating thing in her life.

“You were there, on the other side of the street. How did you even get on that roof? I mean, you, I understand; you look like you could climb it. But Cassie? How did she get up there?” he demanded, leaning in closer, staring her down.

The last thing she wanted was to make a big scene in the hallway, but he was forcing her hand. At least she could make him out to be the bad guy. Naja’s bottom lip started to tremble, accentuated by the silver bauble which now adorned it. “Yo-you’re scaring me,” she nearly whimpered, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about! Why would I be on a roof?” 

His hand slammed the locker right beside where her head was resting, and her eyes rolled behind closed lids at the blast of sound in her ear. “Don’t lie to me, Naja. I know you are, and I know you know way more than you’re letting on,” Isaac almost growled, visibly struggling not to shift. His jaw clenched before his voice lowered just above a whisper. “I know you were there. I could smell you.”

Her entire demeanor changed as she stood up straight, no longer fake-cowering. The stare was so cold he stopped glaring at her. “Maybe if you didn’t try to kill innocent, questionably sane people, I wouldn’t have to lie. Especially when they’re not even giant killer lizards,” she stated, her top lip starting to curl ever so slightly in annoyance. “And knowing my scent is **real** creepy.”

“What the-” He squinted at her, though the attempt at menace had vanished. Instead, he scanned her face, as if some clue was just waiting to be discovered. “Are you like us? Why can’t I tell? You just smell like…you. Are you a werewolf too?” Isaac commanded, his volume remaining low as he reflected the vibe she was giving off.

Naja rolled her eyes at him and smacked his arm out of the way. She’d given more away than she’d meant to, and it was time to go. Before he asked more questions, or got any louder. “Keep your delusional fantasies to yourself, I’m hungry,” she scoffed as she started walking past him.

“I’m not,” Isaac began, his hand flying out and grabbing her forearm, pulling her towards him. “Done talking to you!”

There was a beat as he realized he’d pulled too hard, having been hit in his chest with a thud that made him step back to keep his balance. Naja looked up, ready to berate him. To ask him who he thought he was. But his taken aback expression had rid any malice from his eyes. Isaac didn’t look like a person who went around tearing people’s throats out with his teeth. He looked like a normal, human, teenage boy. Something with which she had absolutely zero experience. And he was staring right back into her grey eyes with his piercing blue. She felt colour rising in her cheeks, accenting the dusting of freckles across her cheekbones.

Naja took a large step back, easily yanking her hand back from his still firm grip. While Naja turned on her heel and marched away, willing the heat to leave her cheeks. Mumbling something about how boys are stupid, why did he have to look so normal. Why couldn’t Stiles do that to her, it would have been so perfect.

Isaac was left there, utterly confused by her reaction, staring at his palm where she had cut him pulling her hand away. Not a ragged scratch, but a clean slice. As she rounded the corner, she heard him mutter under his breath, “What the heck just happened?”


	7. Proximity

The next week, Naja did her best to avoid Isaac – which was hard since they shared classes. It wasn’t so much that he made her uncomfortable, but that he was asking questions. She didn’t care if he thought she was something, as long as he didn’t know what she was. The oath had been bent with Cassie, she wouldn’t break it. Not for Isaac. The fact that he wasn’t losing interest was getting irritating. Sometimes she would find him waiting at her locker and have to take a different route, as well as leave her books. Another time, he tried to ambush her as her class let out but she hid behind a group of students and avoided it altogether. 

At lunch on Friday, she plopped down outside in a huff. She hadn’t even bothered going to her locker and had instead asked Cassie to grab her lunch for her. “This is getting really annoying.”

Her friend let out some form of hissing giggle. “It looks like someone is the victim of obsession. Now you know how Stiles must feel,” Cassie said with a grin, biting into a cold pizza slice. Though it was warmer than the look she received.

“Shut up. I’m not obsessed. I don’t noticeably bother him like this. This is harassment,” Naja complained, falling back into the grass. She groaned and rolled around, covering her face with her hands. “I haven’t even been able to talk to Stiles in Chemistry because I’ve been so focused on not letting Isaac near me that I haven’t been able to sit with him.”

“You know,” Cassie started, glancing down and shuffling a little farther away. “You could do something normal, like, I don’t know, ask him to hang out? Say you need help studying for a midterm?”

“I don’t need help studying though…”

There was a pregnant pause as Naja received a steady stare. “Have you never seen a movie in your life? He doesn’t need to know that. Make him fall in love with you, wear something revealing instead of…whatever you call these things. Slouchy sweaters? Honestly...maybe we should watch some classic teen movies sometime.”

Naja looked down at her oversized cardigan over an already loose t-shirt. “It’s comfortable…what’s wrong with it?” she asked honestly, pulling her shirt out to stare at it.

“Mhmm. I don’t want to be my sister. And I also don’t like looking super girly – I’m already kind of weak, I don’t need people to look at me and think things. But you, you have curves and stuff. Guys like that. You could even give Erica a run for her money,” she teased, scrunching her nose as she smiled. Cassie would normally be the last person to tell someone to show some skin for attention. But teenage boys were dogs and flesh was their bone. With just a small taste to catch his attention, Naja could go back to her normal clothes.

“Hmph, run for her money. If I walked around wearing leather, I’d blow her out of the water. …mostly because I’m not a nutter, but that’s not the point,” came the huffed reply. Naja slowly sat up, a plan visibly forming. “Would that work? Not the leather, but if I asked him to help me? Fed him some food, show a little whatever. He’d notice me? Maybe talk to me more?”

“Sure, worth a shot, isn’t it?”

Looking across the room to where Stiles was speaking with Scott, Naja sighed. “I guess so…what’s there to lose?” 

A large groan and a bunch of shifting finally saw her leave the safety of her patch of grass and walk over to the now alone boy. He was examining a ticket in his hand, the other one occupied with his watch. Do normal people do this kind of thing? What is the procedure for asking someone to help you study? Her training did not prepare her for this. It was failing her more and more lately. What would Eve do? No, that would be terrible if she started copying her. She just needed to be herself. Yup, that would work. Naja’s mind raced through possible scenarios in the short time between A and B.

A nervous tap on the arm brought those big brown eyes up to hers, followed by an adorable half smile. “Oh, hey Naja, what's up?”

Her heart skipped a beat and she smiled sheepishly. How did a sentence work again? “Nothing much, I was just, uh, wondering if you might be able to help me? That Chemistry review, some parts I wasn’t sure of? Like, um, you could come to my place maybe, and I could feed you? …feed us food, I mean. …unless you’re allergic to cats, then we could go somewhere else? Not that I would be feeding you cats, I just have cats. Three of them. And uh, you could tell me what snacks or something…” she rambled awkwardly, catching Stiles glancing back at his phone throughout, causing her shoulders to slump slightly. “…or not, that’s ok too.”

He looked up from his phone, wide-eyed. “I’m so sorry! I’m really not trying to be a jerk, I was listening. I’m just…distracted. And busy. I will totally help you study anything you need – just not tonight,” he said quickly, though apologetic. He clapped his hands together over his phone, eyes squinting. “Raincheck?” Stiles asked, simultaneously shooting a finger gun at her, taking a step back.

“Yeah, that’s no problem,” Naja replied, grinning foolishly. “Ah, just think about, what snacks you’d want!” The last few words needed to be called because he’d started to hurry away. She didn’t stop smiling until she got back to where they were sitting, practically purring.

“So…how did that go?” Cassie asked, slowly sipping her drink. “I mean. You look like an idiot. A happy idiot is still an idiot. But he also ran away.”

“He’s busy. You know, supernatural stuff is very time consuming, but he’s probably not allergic to cats. And he said another night he will. Which means. Stiles is eventually coming to my apartment.” The events were related slowly, especially as the very real possibility of him being in her home sank in.

“Yeah, I wonder if he realizes you live by yourself. Will that make him feel like its some porno study date? Like ‘oh, my parents aren’t home. And my A/C is broken. My, isn’t it hot in here? How did all these buttons get undone?’” Cassie teased, making her voice go high and breathy. For effect, she tilted her head to expose her neck and fanned herself.  
She received a death glare from a very red face. “You know it’s not like that. Because…reasons.”

“...you've never seen how hollywood tells teens to act around each other. But you know bad porn plots? How did that even happen? Who let you on the internet? ...weren’t you going to see a man about some cats tonight?”

Naja tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned her nose up ever so slightly. "I have lived in the world. I know things. Not a lot of things. But I know things." The hint of rose on her cheeks faded as her shoulders lowered once more. “I am going to the vet, but we also might need you to sweet talk us into a party…”

 

The bell over the Animal Clinic door tinkled lightly as Naja walked through it, bringing a small smile to her face. Not just the bell, but a sense of comfort seemed to emanate from the building. Or perhaps it was the cat following at her heel. With a flick of her wrist, the spotted feline hopped up on the counter, sitting pretty on the edge. A clean smell greeted her nostrils as the veterinarian walked out from the back. “Miss Dinan?” he asked with a smile, receiving a nod in response. “Then this must be Zuma.”

“Yes, yes she is,” Naja purred, tickling her cat’s ear with her thumb as Deaton itched under her chin with a crooked finger. “Have you ever dealt with a Savannah cat before? I know you’ve probably dealt with other rare animals.”

The vetrinarian looked up at her with a raised eyebrow, followed by a small smile as he saw Naja's aversion to the gate. “This is true, and I’m guessing you have too,” Deaton replied sagely, opening up the gate and receiving a sheepish smile. “But no, I’ve never done a checkup on a Savannah before. In her paperwork you sent in you didn’t indicate any previous issues?”

Naja walked behind the counter towards the exam room, followed by Zuma. “No, she’s fine, she actually likes going to the vet. Except for the needles, she doesn’t like those. But really, does anyone?”

He laughed in agreement, leaning down to close the cupboard which the cat had opened and was peering into. “That is very true. I can see the end of her tail is puffed – is that breed specific behaviour?” he queried, watching it wag before Zuma jumped up onto the table. The cat nuzzled her head into her owner’s side, purring loudly. “She’s also much bigger than any crossbreed I’ve seen.”

“Yeah, it’s a bit of a weird thing that they do. And yes, she’s actually a first generation, a bit strong on the serval side, but still big for a female. Zuma’s about eighteen inches at the shoulder? Around the same size of a small shepherd,” Naja explained, leaning to nuzzle her cat’s head, purring back. She laughed a little, looking over at Deaton as he put his gloves on. “You should see the looks I get when I take her for a walk – people double take when they realize she’s feline.”

“I can imagine,” he chuckled, beginning to check Zuma over. “And you mentioned that you were looking for another cat? Didn’t you say on the phone that you already have three? Shouldn’t you be checking with your parents for that?”

Naja paused, her smile tightening as she shuffled awkwardly before responding. “I, uh, would. But I don’t have any, anymore. They died when I was a kid – I’m actually an emancipated minor, sort of. I don’t really like to talk about it,” she said in a deliberate, level tone, looking anywhere but his face. “It’s ok, really. I just find people get kind of weird when they know you’re an orphan. But everything is fine. I mean I obviously miss them, but it was a long time ago. I can choose my family now, which is more than some people get. So…yeah.” She bit her lip to try and make sure nothing else poured out. Why she’d said even half of that eluded her.

Deaton had finished the physical exam and was looking at her sympathetically. “That’s hard, and I’m very sorry for your loss, Naja. I can understand why you’d want to avoid questions- “

“And fake sympathy. I learned that lesson in my first few schools. Humans can be awful creatures. Cats are much better,” she interrupted a bit bitterly. Her shoulders began to roll, and Zuma became agitated, making some chirping sounds. Naja cracked her knuckles before clenching her hands into fists. The animals in the other rooms began to make noises, catching Deaton’s attention.

He gently put his hand on her arm, her head snapping to look at him. Her nostrils flared and she looked ready to bolt. “Naja, it’s ok, we can make another appointment to do Zuma’s vaccines. Just calm down. The past can only hurt you if you let it, when you dwell in it. Moving on with your life makes you brave, remember that, ok?” he stated, squeezing her shoulder supportively. 

His words snapped her out of the beginnings of a panic attack, and she laughed weakly at herself. “Talking about it makes it fresh, that’s all. I’m just real awkward, apparently.” Naja paused, looked at the vet, and smiled. “Thank you for being genuine. And, uh, please don’t tell Scott. About my being an orphan, or my difficulty with the gate,” she said, a small smile on her lips. There she went again, talking about things that maybe not everyone would know. Did everyone know Scott worked there? “He’ll probably find out eventually. But I’d like to tell him on my own. Definitely the latter. It’s a whole big thing…”

“Of course, doctor-patient confidentiality will also apply to you, and not just Zuma,” he joked lightly, a warm smile accompanying his wink. “And don’t worry about paying today – you can pay when she actually gets her shots.”

“Thank you Doctor Deaton, really. And hopefully next time won’t be so dramatic,” she laughed, resting her head on a now calm Zuma, the long pointed ears tickling her nose. He didn’t seem phased, so maybe everyone did know. “We’ll see you next week?”

“I’ll have Scott tell you when to come in next,” he informed, watching as she chirped and moved her head and shoulders while looking at her cat. Who then proceeded to nuzzle the doctor’s hand before jumping off the table. 

 

The pair had left the office, and run part of the way home. Naja was trying to clear her head of old memories, shoving them back down with every footfall. And of course, Zuma didn’t mind the run. Her long legs allowed her to keep up, even with Naja’s stride. They walked the rest of the way, the girl pulling her hair into a loose bun, as they received odd stares from passersby. When they arrived at the apartment building, head clear, she almost exploded. First awkwardly bringing up the past, now this? 

_“ISAAC!”_ She practically growled, jogging over to the leather jacket-clad teen. Naja’s lip curled in annoyance, and Zuma hissed, causing him to jump slightly. Nobody expected a cat to sound like a snake. “Are you stalking me now? How do you even know where I live? I should report this to the Sheriff! Why won’t you just leave me alone? Stop harassing me, you stalker!”

Isaac looked blankly at the livid female in front of him – and the puffed up tail of her pet. “Well, actually…” he offered, pointing over his shoulder.

Naja indignantly looked down his arm towards where he was pointing. Right at a grocery store. “Oh…” The colour rose in her cheeks and she dug her toe into the sidewalk. “Sorry for, uh, ranting, I guess. Carry on, be on your way,” she lamented, cracking her fingers one by one.

He smirked at her, shoving his hands in his pockets, and looked up at the apartment building. “So, you live here, huh?”

“Oh shut up, that offer of reporting you is still standing – believe me,” she fired back, the scowl returning to her features. Why did that guy always have to get on her nerves.  
“Yeah, yeah, I believe it,” he replied, rolling his eyes at her. Though they settled on the animal beside her. “…is that a cat?”

Naja heaved an annoyed sigh and rested her hand on the head of her feline. “Yes, she’s a cat. Yes, she is very large, and yes, she will claw you if I tell her to.”

He put his hands up in defense, shaking his head. “You’re so hostile…you can keep your secrets,” he said, kneeling and offering the back of his fingers to the cat. She gingerly sniffed at it, and then rubbed the side of her head on it. Isaac smiled and squinted up at Naja, a cheeky twinkle in his eye. “I’ll find out eventually.”

Another scowl. Followed by some chirps and a head jerk which stopped Zuma’s purring instantly, and she ducked her head away from his hand. Confused, Isaac stood up, closer to the girl than he had been before. “For instance,” he began, reaching out and cupping her chin in his hand, gently brushing at her bottom lip with his thumb. “Didn’t you have a piercing last week?"

She jerked her face out of his grasp and took a step back, her cheeks returning to a light shade of pink. “Yeah, I didn’t want it anymore. So I took it out,” she said, though she didn’t look at him as she spoke. “Like I said before, it’s like people can change their appearance or something.”

The grin stayed on his face as he ran his fingers through his curly hair. “Yeah, and there’s no scar. Mmhm. Well, I’ll see you later, Naja,” he teased as he turned to walk away. He paused, turning on his heel to walk backward with a smirk. “It’s too bad you got rid of it though, it was kinda hot.”

Her mouth opened slightly in shock, eyes wide. That elicited a chuckle and a grin as he turned back around, flinging his hand up in the air in a half-assed wave. “See ya around, sour puss.”

Naja watched him walk away in silence, her cheeks glowing. “Who does that guy think he is, huh Zuma? Walking around, saying things like that to people. Touching people’s mouths, I bet his hands aren’t even clean…” she grumbled aloud, walking into their building. “…that’s not true. His hands smelled clean. Kind of fresh, really.”

Zuma blinked slowly, tilting her head as she turned the key and yanked open the door. “Oh shut up, nobody asked you. Besides, I need to get ready – Cassie and I are going out.”


	8. Murder in the Club

“You’re not wearing that.”

Naja groaned, flopping down on the couch. “What’s wrong with jeans and a bright shirt? What will everyone else be wearing?”

Cassie walked over to her, tugging at the neon pink stripe in her bangs before crossing her arms over her chest. “Well, first of all – you’re totally covering up too much. And that’s something coming from me. You will also be too hot. And stand out like a sore thumb. It’s not like you never revealed anything ever. I’ve seen pictures,” she chided, wagging a finger. Instead of her normal black wardrobe, even Cassie was clad in bright colours and a skirt. 

“I know, but…this is different. We might see Stiles. And, what if he thinks…I dunno, something bad? Like, like, like maybe I act like a smart weirdo at school, but I go crazy when it gets dark? Or I frequent these things? Is that bad? Are raves bad? They’re not, like. Great, right?” Naja prattled on, running her hand through her hair just to tug it. She was barely allowed to wallow in her conflict for a second before she was tugged off the couch by her small friend.

“Eve! Your services are required!”

A curly blonde head popped around the corner, a sly smile from ear to ear. “I was hoping for this. You will be the hottest bitch at that rave. Unless I went. Then I would be hottest. But you’d still be hot. Now don’t make me sing your ass over her, Dinan.”

Ten minutes later, Naja’s whining could be heard throughout the floor around them. “I don’t know how I feel about this…” she complained, trying to pull the crop top down more. “No wait - I’ve got it. I feel like an idiot.” She ended up pulling it back up because it exposed her bra, and she sighed, pulling the clear, stiff jacket tighter around her. Why Eve would have bought something that was essentially cellophane was confusing. Might as well just wrap herself in cling-wrap and call it a day.

“You look hot. The socks and shorts give you legs for days. You will have your pick of hotties,” Eve began to gush, before receiving cold stares from the two younger girls. She put her hands up in defense. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Not there for boys. Or wolves. That stupid lizard thing. I get it, it’s serious. Dangerous.”

A lower lip slowly jutted out into a perfect pout. “…I still want to go.”

“Yeah, and have mom kill me for getting you possibly murdered. That’s a no. You’re staying home. The only reason I’m allowed to go is that she’s just as worried about Naja going alone as she is about me going. You can go to another one when there aren’t murderous supernatural creatures running around everywhere,” Cassie scolded, though she shared a look with her best friend. “…at least until this _particular_ murderous thing isn’t running around.”

“Fine!” Eve huffed, stomping her spoiled foot on the ground. “I still want to go. Not sure why _I_ can’t go and you stay home.”

The two girls were already headed out the door, and Cassie didn’t even turn around to brush her sister off. “Yeah, yeah Eve. Get over it.”

Once the door closed, Evangeline Nicchi stared apprehensively at the door. The childish attitude slipped away and for once in her life seemed to care about someone other than herself. “Naja, you make sure she gets home safe,” she whispered, trusting that the other girl heard her. Down the hallway, a dark head nodded slowly.

 

“I don’t know if I can do this…”

“Cass. You’ve done things like this before,” Naja groaned as they stood in line to get into the rave. 

“Uhhhhhh…” Cassie’s pitch increasing as it dragged on. “Confusion, yes. Bending people to my will…not so much.”

“Huh. Maybe we should have talked about this before…” Naja trailed off awkwardly, looking up to the side to try and think of a new plan.

“Um, um, it’s ok, I’ll wing it. Eve does it all the time. I’ve seen and heard it. No big deal.” Tug-tug went the bangs.

They edged up to the man taking the tickets. He looked bored, eyes practically glazed over by the time the girls approached. She could do it. Just like Eve. That thought was gross. With a roll of her shoulders, a crick-crack of the neck, and a deep breath, Cassie walked up to him. Her little Chucks went on pointe as she motioned for him to come closer, already humming. “We might not have tickets, and that’ll have to do,” she sang softly, a slightly confused expression crossing his face as he leaned over. Her small hand lightly cupped his shoulder, eyes shining. “We only want one thing, to save all of you. I hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind…and let us both through.”

He moved slowly, as if he were swimming through honey, and motioned them inside. Cassie all but skipped inside the warehouse, her skirt flouncing just as jubilantly. She didn’t stop singing the tune until Naja hurried in behind her. “Cassie that was awwwesoome!” she crooned, doing a little dance as she high-fived her. “But did you just bend Your Song around what you wanted?”

A bit of the pep went out of the blue eyes. “Yes, yes I did. But it worked, and I don’t see Eve making up original songs just to get people to do things, so…now what.”

Naja scanned the room, the end of her ponytail brushing her mid-back as she took in the flashing lights, the pounding music, and the writhing bodies. “Well, I think we should split up. And if you see Jackson, sing as loud as you can, ok?” she instructed, still surveying the crowd, arms crossed across her chest. She could definitely hear Cassie over the music, right?

A quick nod. “Got it. …and if you see him? What are you going to do?” Cassie asked tentatively, watching her best friend hold up a hand and flex her fingers.   
“I will take care of it. Jackson, Kanima, whatever needs to be done. Just stay safe.”

“Alright, but you have to try and fit in, remember,” Cassie instructed as she disappeared into the crowd.

A lot of huffing escaped Naja’s mouth as she walked off in the opposite direction. “Pfft, I can fit in. You just like…fist pump and…” she paused the outer monologue to peer at those around her. “Move to the music.” Another pause while she watched a bunch of people grinding against each other. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. “Yeah, definitely not doing that. Rubbing all up on random people is not my thing.” Her wandering continued, sort of dancing through the crowd as she breathed in deeply every once in a while. A lot of people she didn’t know were smiling at her, and it was making her more and more uncomfortable.

“Naja?” 

She froze when she heard her name, knowing that voice. That scent. She tried to tiptoe away but was grabbed by the elbow and spun around. Isaac. Fantastic.

“What are you doing here?” they hissed in unison, though hers was more in annoyance, his more concerned.

“I just, you know, came here to uh, party?” she replied, watching his face as she spoke. Isaac was one hundred percent not buying it. Trying to be more convincing, she bounced on the balls of her feet to beat. “So shoot me for having a social life. Like, I can go out and do things too…what are you staring at?”

Her hands went to her hips, and he shrugged, albeit a little sheepishly as he shoved his hands in his pockets, and said, “You just look…different. I didn’t even really expect it to be you. You’re always covered up when I see you, and this is the exact opposite of that.”

Freezing again, she looked down at her loose-fitting crop top, now glowing in the UV light. Along with the slowly fogging up jacket, though the hotpants she had been forced into stayed black. Despite the very awkward spray Eve had used, she could swear they were slowly retreating off her cheeks, toward wedgie territory. Naja pulled at the sock on her thigh, digging her toe into the ground. One arm hung at her side, trying to seem cool, while the other self-consciously tried to cover her exposed stomach. “You don’t have to stare at me, I didn’t even want to wear this stupid outfit, I look – “

“Hot,” Isaac interrupted with a smirk and a shrug. Red started to rise in her cheeks and she was happy the light hid it. “You look great, you should totally wear that to school tomorrow.”

She laughed, though it was more of a snort. “It’s way too cold…here…” She looked at his face, jaw clenched from trying not to laugh. “Oh, ha ha. You’re so funny. But actually, it’s freezing in this stupid place. And I mean Beacon Hills, because it’s refreshingly warm in here.”

Isaac laughed and shook his head. “Yes, because the nice sixty-nine degrees outside is too cold.”

“When I grew up in Africa, yes. Yes it is.”

“And not just because you’re shy about your body.”

Hands went back to her hips, accompanied by a flat stare. How rude! Not wanting people to stare at her, and not liking how she looked were two very different things. Naja said dryly, “I’m not ashamed of my body. I know I look great. I have legs for days. A healthy curve. Hell, one place I stayed I wore beads and a skirt the entire time! Shy about my body…what nonsense to assume…I’ll wear less in the summer…” Even as she grumbled along, she wondered why she was having to justify her wardrobe – covered or not – to some guy. Just one more way Isaac Lahey got under her skin.

There was a long pause as her words processed through his teenage brain. “So…do you still have those beads, by any chance? Or photographic evidence? For. World History purposes…?” Isaac queried, though he soon winced as he received a punch in the arm. “Ok, ok. Try to be warmer. You’ll get someone’s attention if you do that.”

“I’m sorry? Try to be warmer? What does that even mean? And I’ll do what?” she asked, a little confused. “Who will I get attention from?”

He shrugged, putting his hands up in the air in open defense. “You will get everyone’s attention if you showed off more, that’s all, sour puss. But, if you didn’t want to wear it…why are you?”

She frowned under his cocky, knowing look. If his eyebrow raised any higher she was going to start squirming. “To fit in.”

“Uh-huh. And why would that be?”

“Because that’s what you do when you go to a rave?” His expression didn’t change, and Naja threw her hands up in the air. “Gah! You’re so annoying! We just want to help, ok? People can’t keep dying, Isaac. It isn’t right!” she exclaimed, shoulders slumping a bit in defeat. 

Suddenly serious, he looked around before grabbing her elbow and pulling her to a more secluded spot. “Naja, this is dangerous. What are you thinking? And _we_?” he scolded before trying to peer across the dance floor, though all he could see were intertwining figures. “You brought the shrimp with you? Are you crazy?”

Yanking her elbow from his grasp, she scowled. “Cassie can take care of herself, and I’m not crazy – “

“No, you just have a death wish.”

Naja leveled a withering glare at him. “I am more capable than you think, wolf boy,” she hissed, her top lip pulling back into a snarl.

Isaac blinked in surprise, caught off guard at being called what he was. Even his packmates didn’t throw the W-word around so freely in a crowded place. He shook his head to clear it. Isaac pulled a syringe out of his pocket. “We have a plan, ok? Don’t worry about it.”

“There had better be something very powerful in that if you’re going to knock Jackson out,” Naja scoffed, shaking her head. It gave her a little bit of pleasure to see his eyes widen when she identified the Kanima. “So you have a plan. That’s great. What if something goes wrong? Is there a backup plan? What about plan C?”

He shook his head strongly, replying, “Everything will be fine, its Scott’s plan.”

Her mouth opened to contradict him, that just because he makes a plan doesn’t mean it will succeed, but stayed open for a few seconds, her eyes going wide. At the same time, Isaac’s nose perked up, and his head turned to follow the scent. Jackson. He watched Erica making her way over and quickly turned back to look Naja in the eye. “Everything will be fine.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll be here if I’m needed, just…don't tell Scott,” she pleaded as he walked away, receiving a nod. Naja sighed, slipping through the crowd to keep an eye on the infallible ‘plan.’ Her lip twitched a little bit as she watched Isaac and Erica dance around Jackson, their bodies all intertwining. “That is so gross,” she muttered under her breath. Not that she would entirely mind if that were her and Stiles in there…without Isaac of course, the stupid wolf. Her conflicting thoughts of being in a boy sandwich were interrupted by muffled gunshots. Her head whipped around to try and find the location of the sounds, and when she looked back, Jackson was making his way forward once more. 

Heart racing, she easily moved through the crowd to see Isaac crawling on the floor, looking for something. The flashing light illuminated the syringe he’d flasher her moments ago just out of reach. And very dangerously close to being crunched underfoot. 

With a quick and fluid twist and spin around gyrating people, Naja landed next to the syringe. And right in front of a guy, whose arm snaked around her waist. “That was pretty smooth – want to show me some more? Maybe a little closer?” he asked, voice breathy near her ear. The arm around her pulled her tight against him, and she resisted the urge to throw him across the room. Or throw up. Both were equally likely to happen.

Her eyes rolled into her head in repulsion and the fact that his voice pounded into her head like a jackhammer. That would be the last time she tried to focus on two things at once. Isaac looked up at her as she spoke through a grimace, laying on the false seductive charm. “I would love that,” Naja lied, hips undulating against him as she lowered herself to the floor. Isaac was slack-jawed as she kicked the syringe to his outstretched hand. He was still staring until she mouthed ‘go’ and shooed him with a nod of her head. She straightened back up in a flash, smashing her head into the creepy guy’s chin. “But I’m kind of in the middle of something.” As he staggered, holding his face, she sauntered away, mouth slightly open, nostrils flaring quickly. 

Cassie almost had a heart attack when Naja magically appeared beside her. “Holy crap, make some noise, will ya?” she seethed, exhaling through her teeth quickly. “You might be used to this scary crap, but I need time to adjust from normal to…whatever this is. Hopefully not our new normal.”

Naja glanced around and began fist-pumping, lowering her voice so only Cassie could hear. “I ran into Isaac-“ The intensity with which her friend’s eyebrows shot up interrupted her. “And they have a plan. Well, Scott has a plan. Everything will be fine…hopefully.” She couldn’t believe she was echoing the phrase Isaac had repeated like a mantra.

 

In the small room, Stiles, Isaac, and Erica stared at the controlled Jackson, the curly haired boy nursing his arm. They had just listened to him say he was the one whom they were avenging. “Where is Scott?” he asked, a hint of panic in his voice. “This isn’t exactly going as planned.” Maybe Naja had been right about needing a plan C.

“I don’t know where he is! But great observation, Captain Obvious,” Stiles snarked, though his sarcastic tirade he was about to embark on was cut short when Jackson started to raise his claws. “Ok, alright, more ketamine. The man needs ketamine, come one.”

Holding the bottle up, Isaac said, “We don’t have anymore.”

Trying to keep his patience, Stiles turns to him. “You used the whole bottle?”  
“Well, it’s not like it did a lot. But…” Isaac hesitated, looking back at the eerily blank Jackson. While he had said he wouldn’t say anything to Scott, Naja hadn’t said anything about the rest. A loophole in conversation he could use if she got mad. Which meant he would definitely be using it – she was always mad at him. However, she was the one who had said she was going to help. “There might be…someone else…who can help.”

“What do you – “ Erica tapped on Stiles’ shoulder and he whipped his head around to the now standing, transforming, Jackson. Which suddenly screamed.

 

Both Cassie and Naja’s heads whipped around at the terrifying scream, scanning the large space frantically. “What the hell was that?” The girls stopped and looked at each other before uttering a single word in unison. “Kanima.”

Naja strained her ears to hear the tiniest sound around the music, trying to scan the room systematically. Listening for the scrape of claws, or the swish of the long tail. Her mouth opened and her nostrils flared, searching for a void of scent. Finding anything specific with so many different scents mixed together was extremely difficult. She’d only noticed Isaac when he was right beside her, and Cassie only because she knew it so well. Maybe the absence of scent would be easier.

The smaller girl watched the crowd dance on, completely unaware of the danger they were all in. Just a bunch of people having a good time. Not knowing one life – or more - could end in an instant. She almost missed Naja’s hand clapping over her own mouth and nose. “What is it?” she hissed, clawing at her sleeve, eyes darting around.

“Blood. I smell…no, I taste it. Cass, it’s…it’s horrible,” Naja whispered, eyes wide open, frozen in her stance. It filled her nostrils, her mouth. Her own blood pounded in her ears, and her stomach roiled, threatening to heave. 

It took some effort, but with a great deal of pulling, she was half dragged to an exit. Her feet didn’t really want to move, and it appeared she didn’t quite know where she was. She walked forward in a daze, following the same path that Cassie was taking. Only she received a swift knock on the ass. Her head throbbed, and her eyes drifted to the ground where she was sitting. “What the…?” she started, squinting to see better. A pile of dust? No, it was too dark, too deliberate. “Damn it. Mountain Ash.”

A realization hit her like a ton of bricks through the blood fog and she sprang up to her feet. “Cassie. Cassie, I can’t leave,” she said hurriedly, her hands flexing back and forth as she paced. “What if Scott comes out. What if Stiles comes out. I’m not ready. What do I do?” Her speed increased, becoming more frantic, her voice rising with each word from her lips until she was shouting. “SHIT CASSIE I CAN’T LEAVE. _**WHAT DO I DO?!**_ ”

The fact that mountain ash was surrounding the building finally clicked in and Cassie began to tug furiously at her bangs. She went right to full volume and she screamed back, voice thick with panic. “CAN I FIX IT. OHGOD. OHGOD. THEY’RE GOING TO SEE BOTH OF US. OHGODOHGODWHATAREWEGONNADO!”

Her frantic screaming was interrupted by a muted howl, and they both whipped their heads in the direction of the sound. Suddenly the line was gone, and Naja ran, scooping her petite friend up in one arm as she bolted to the car. She nearly ripped the door off its hinges as Cassie was thrown into the driver’s seat and sped away. Without even really paying attention, they arrived in the parking structure of their apartment complex. The entire time they had driven in silence, and it continued as they sat in the now parked car. Small hands were still clutching the wheel, knuckles white from the strength of her grip. 

Naja mumbled something almost inaudible. “Wha-“

“Dammit. Dammit. DammitdammitDAMMIT!” she cried out, fists thumping the dash each time. The glove box popped open and Naja slammed it shut, rocking the entire car. “I should have been able to save her! If I wasn’t so scared of being relocated again, if I could just be open, like Isaac and Erica and Boyd.”

A deep sigh came from the seat beside her. “You have your reasons, Naja. They’ll understand.”

“But I don’t! This izn’t like any other place I’ve lived in America! I shouldn’t be so afraid! The Council would understand. I shouldn’t be punished!” 

Cassie frowned deeply. She knew as soon as Naja slipped into her original accent she was extremely upset. She reached over and started to slowly play with her hair, running her fingers through the high ponytail. “Hey, it’s not all on you. I honestly don’t think they knew what kind of place they were putting you in. Heck, I didn’t even know it was like this. You don’t carry the world on your shoulders – you’re not alone. _We_ aren't even alone - there are like, three other groups of questionably qualified people also trying to deal with this.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any less guilty. I made another promise, to do what my parents always taught me. What the Council showed me was right. My decisions are mine alone. And that is something that I have to live with.”


	9. Guilt and Advice

When Monday came around, Naja still couldn’t shake her feelings of responsibility. The entire weekend she’d hidden in her apartment, ignored the texts, calls, and knocks on the door from her best friend. She had needed to wallow in her misery. Having faked a smile and fumbled through an apology, the ride to school wasn’t any less awkward. Not that Cassie didn’t forgive her for brooding ; she wasn’t really upset by it. However, her wanting Naja to forgive herself was causing some tension. 

Sitting in Chemistry, Naja reflected on the tense moments they had shared. Even though it hadn’t been voiced, the fact that Cassie wanted her to simply drop her guilt just felt wrong. It took Stiles touching her arm to get her attention.

She nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Ah, sorry Naja,” he said, his brow furrowing. “Scott was trying to talk to you.”

Her shoulders rose just like the colour in her cheeks. “Sorry, I was kinda zoned out.”

Scott laughed, shaking his head and smiling. “It’s no problem. I mean, Harris could put anyone to sleep,” he joked, eliciting a laugh out of her. Stiles was still looking at her strangely, and for once she tried not to look at him. “I just wanted to tell you that either today or tomorrow after school any time is ok to bring your cat in; Deaton asked me to let you know. You can go back to your napping now.”

Naja rolled her eyes at him with a smile and he turned back around. She tried to get back to not really paying attention to the class, but Stiles scooted his stool back and leaned closer to her. “Hey, are you ok?” he asked, head turning almost perpendicular to his neck. It was pretty clear he was trying to meet her eye.

She half shrugged, doodling in the corner of her page. “Yeah just…tired. I had kind of a busy weekend, that’s all. You know me, busybusybusy, running around and doing…stuff…things…stuff and things. The usual,” Naja mumbled, her eyes darting over to look at him with every pause. As if she wasn’t awkward enough on a normal day.

“Are you sure that’s it? I mean, I feel you on that busy weekend, but you’re normally…I dunno, more smiley. Chipper? Peppy? That’s all.” Then he was the one shrugging. “I’ve also never seen you wear sweatpants before.”

The girl laughed through her nose, trying to ignore the pen poking her in the leg. She put her hand below the bench and swatted at her best friend’s hand, all while smiling at the concerned beauty in front of her. The fact that he paid attention to her wardrobe was bouncing around her skull, ricocheting off the thoughts pulling her down. Only Stiles could have made her giddy in her current state. “You are a sheriff’s son; I’ll give you that, Stiles,” she teased, now holding his gaze. Apparently teasing was something she did now; that would need to be cataloged in the Things Socially Acceptable to Do With Stiles folder. Naja sighed as her feelings of guilt wiggled momentarily back to the forefront of her brain. “Just some personal stuff going on, nothing to worry about.”

Stiles’ expression softened, and he smiled. “Ok, just checking.”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. But…thanks for checking. And noticing,” Naja parroted, a tiny bit of pink in her cheeks as she resisted ducking her head fully.

“No problem, I am veeery perceptive,” he said with a wink and tap to his temple as he turned back around.

Naja leaned forward, a huge grin on her face. She was about to silently freak out – squeal, kick her legs, roll around as much as she could manage on the desk - but looked up into Stiles’ face again and froze. “Would you still want help studying?”

She tried to smoothly sit back up, resting her chin on her hand. Hopefully, it just looked like she had been stretching. Though Naja knew it looked about as natural as Erica’s hair. “Mmmhm, yes. Yup. Yes I would. There are still some things I don’t quite understand?”

“That’s totally fine. Would Friday be ok? I just have some…stuff, to do. But I’ll be free then.”

“Yup, that’s totally fine. All good. Yup,” she babbled, nodding as quickly as she spoke.

“Cool,” he chirped, almost turning around. He leaned back close, looking both ways before significantly lowering his voice. “Was that offer of any snack still on the table?”

“Of course.”

“Good. Good.” A long pause. “Are cupcakes an option?”

“Sure are.”

“Maybe some sandwiches?” Stiles asked tentatively, though his eyes immediately widened. “Not in a terrible, ‘go to the kitchen and make me a sandwich,’ kind of way. Just. A sandwich. Because we are growing human beings that need sustenance.”

Naja laughed, and Cassie piped up, “She actually makes great sandwiches. Not gonna lie.”

“That’s good to know. It’ll be a good time.” He turned back around, only to receive a tap on the shoulder as Naja leaned way over her bench. 

“…Stiles?”

“Yeah?”

“You might need to know where I live, to be able to come over.”

He turned his head to see her hiding a smile behind her knuckles. “…yup. That might be helpful,” he mumbled, digging around in his hoodie to find his phone.

 

The tinkling of the bell was beginning to become familiar, comforting even. Though why she couldn’t quite put her finger on until she saw the vet – it wasn’t the place, but the face. Deaton was up at the front again and smiled, tilting his head slightly towards the open gate. It elicited a quick upturn in the corner of her mouth, then it returned to the same black hole of emotion it had been before. Before the doctor could question it, Scott popped out from the examination room with a grin on his face. “Hey Naja – holy crap! That is a giant cat!” he cried out, eyes wide. 

She forced a smile, a bit of a chuckle. How someone who undoubtedly felt as responsible as she did was running around perfectly fine was beyond her. “Hey Scott, and yes, yes she is,” Naja replied, leaning to stroke under the chin of her cat. Zuma had her tail wrapped around Naja’s leg, purring at the scratches before going to investigate Scott.   
As her owner tried her best at small talk, she sniffed at Scott’s shoe, her head pulling back. Zuma tentatively sniffed again, trying to lift up his pant leg with her head to get a closer scent. Her tail snapped back and forth a few times as she circled the slightly distracted boy. Though he did look down when she started chirping and meowing. Without thinking, Naja chirped back, tilting her head in response – and then froze when she realized what she just had done.

Scott just laughed, a grin spreading across his face. “That was pretty good, I’ve seen people speak and sort of understand their pets – but not mimic them,” he chuckled, not perturbed by her behaviour. When he leaned down to pet Zuma’s head, she pulled away and scampered into the examination room. “Is she not used to new people?”

Naja laughed nervously, shooting a side glance at the vet before answering. “Not especially? Maybe there’s just a scent she doesn’t like.” She paused for a beat to wonder if that was a normal thing to say. Was there a way to make it less suspicious? “Maybe, like, a cleaning solution or hand sanitizer? She doesn’t like when people smell chemical-y.” That felt like a good save, and Scott just smiled and nodded, accepting it as a logical reason. Though of course, for someone with an enhanced sense of smell, it was a legitimate issue.

“I get that – she just wants to smell the people, not sift through a bunch of stuff.”

All three of them walked into the examination room as Naja nodded in agreement. “Kind of like when someone near your table at a restaurant has too much perfume on and it’s hard to smell your delicious food. Or when your whiff of bakery bread is interrupted by cigarette smoke.” More talking to distance herself from what could have been a weird statement. She still wasn’t sure if it was normal, normal to Scott, or if he just hadn’t noticed. Hopefully any one of them, and not him deciding not to point out she was odd.  
One glance over at Deaton while Scott was busy with her cat and Naja felt the wave of helplessness threaten to swallow her up once more. How someone she had only met once could tell something was off with her resting expression was confusing, but from his face, it was clear he knew something was off. It wasn’t like he could possibly know an easy smile normally pulled at her lips. Not the way they currently fell in a straight line – Cassie had pointed it out to her at lunch. 

Naja could practically smell the blood that had screamed ‘failure’ at her again, and needed to hold onto the counter. Not only were her legs betraying her, but her eyes and stomach too. That would be wonderful, to cry and puke in the room with her crush’s best friend. For no apparent reason. Since Scott was successful with the cat, which was relatively calm now, he looked over. A big grin on his face, he went to say something but stopped when he noticed her eyes. “Whoa, hey, are you ok?”

She widened her eyes to try and give the excess fluid somewhere to go before blinking as quick as she could. Naja tried to wave him off while the vet finished preparing the needles. “Yeah, uh, just personal stuff from the weekend? You know how things kind of sneak up on you? Suddenly, and it kinda like, makes stuff feel fresh? When it should be fine? And you know, allergies, and uh, watching my cat about to get her shots makes me…emotional?” Naja was still trying to wave him off, as his concerned expression was not vanishing. Which apparently involved bordering on the truth and then spouting nonsense to cover her bases. Why did he have to be a nice guy? Just accept the lie and move on. Like a normal teen, who didn't care about other people.

“Scott, if you could hold Zuma still for a minute,” Deaton interrupted, and the teen complied as a gracious minute of silence filling the room. Before Scott could say anything else, the vet continued. “There you go, all good as new. And for your mom,” he started, rubbing under the savannah’s chin. “You can’t dwell on mistakes – whether they were yours, or another’s. If you’re too busy thinking about the past, you’ll miss the time to set it right.” 

Naja nodded, a small smile threatening her dour expression, though Scott looked understandably confused. “Are you sure you’re a veterinarian and not a therapist?” she joked, motioning for her feline to jump off the table. “Will I be getting a ‘words of wisdom’ fee on my bill, right below the vaccines?”

The odd mood in the room was broken as they all chuckled at her quip. The rest of the conversation was light as she paid, mouthing a thank you when Scott’s back was turned. Deaton dipped his head in recognition, though his face was still concerned as she turned and walked out the door, Zuma at her heels.


	10. Coffee

Having been five days since the incident at the club, it was only just starting to not weigh as heavily on Naja’s shoulders. Despite Deacon’s advice, it wasn’t always easy to make the mind reconcile the information into the current problem. For sure it would hold onto it until the next problem, and factor it in then. However the dilemma it was facing now, it had yet to do the math completely. Like when you look at an equation you should understand how to solve, but it just won’t make sense. It was still hard to have that easy smile on her face – though she tried just so that people wouldn’t get suspicious. Cassie knew, and tried not to bother her about it; she knew her friend would come out of the guilt pit eventually. At some point. Hopefully in the near future. 

However, flying solo at the grocery store rid Naja of any pretense to put on a smile. Examining the shelves with a deadlier than normal resting bitch face, a stocker had already fled the aisle. Twice.

Even though she was buying things to make for her fake study session the next day – which was essentially a dream come true – she had been standing with the dairy fridge door open for about eight whole minutes. Naja had already scanned the different creams at least ten times, not really reading anything. Too wrapped up in her own thoughts to realize she was getting chilled through her jacket, and maybe not blinking as often as she should. 

“Are you trying to cool down the whole store?”

Naja nearly jumped out of her skin, letting go of the door to face the voice. She’d been so distracted she hadn’t seen – or smelled – the intruder on her thoughts. “I’ve been watching you stare into the milky abyss for what seems like forever, sour puss. You’ve seemed off at school too. Is everything ok?” 

She stiffened and pursed her lips, looking into those stupid blue eyes rimmed with concern. “You’re not helping your case of not being a stalker. Who just watches someone without saying anything?” Naja demanded, adjusting the basket in her hand, just now registering the ache in her wrist. 

“Who stands for like five minutes staring into a fridge without picking anything up?” Isaac fired back, brow arching mockingly. He even gestured to her basket to drive the point home – it was suspiciously void of dairy products.

“Ah, ch, nnnn people, Lahey. People who are…thinking. About…things!” she choked out, heat rising in her cheeks. “Something I doubt you have much experience in!” As she turned on her heel, Naja was well aware she was literally stomping away. 

And then had to stomp right back because she still hadn’t gotten the whipping cream for her icing, in all that time staring. She yanked the door back open, grumbling about being interrupted when she felt fingers brush her elbow. “Thinking about…things at raves that weren’t even their fault?” The words were spoken gently, as soft as his touch had been.

Her face twisted with something between anger and pain, Naja whipped around to yell at him. Though some of the rage melted away when she met his gaze and saw only understanding and sympathy. Clenching her hands into fists, the basket handle digging into her palm, Naja audibly ground her teeth. As much as she didn’t want to acknowledge he was right, she couldn’t blatantly lie to his face either. Better to just look away. 

“That’s what I thought.” He sighed and clawed a hand through his hair. They stood in strained silence until it had stretched way into awkward territory. As it stretched on, neither of them moved except to breathe. When Isaac broke the silence, Naja almost had to strain to hear him. “Do you want to grab something to eat? Talk about it with someone who probably feels guiltier than you do?”

The fact that he could all of a sudden not even meet her eye, she wondered if maybe he really did feel worse than she did; or at least as awful as she did. Naja rolled her shoulders, one after the other, as if she could just roll the emotions right off of her. The not cocky side of Isaac was somehow more uncomfortable than his usual self. “I already ate. And I have groceries I need to put away so they don’t go bad.” She glanced at his empty hands and found familiar ground to pull herself back up on. Ridicule. “Did you even come here to buy anything? Who comes into a store just to stare at other people?”

He laughed, and she almost cracked a smile. Almost. 

“They were out of my juice, ok? But if it will make you feel better I can walk around with a pack of gum,” Isaac said with a grin. “And if no food, a coffee?”

She huffed and rolled her eyes. “I still have groceries to buy, take home, and put away.” 

“We could meet after. You live close and there’s a coffee shop around the corner. They-“ 

“Have great pastries, I know. I’m not so new that I don’t have a clue about the good places to eat around here.”

“I was going to say they have a quiet corner where we can talk, but their stuff _is_ pretty good,” Isaac corrected, though he smirked. “Who knew the sour puss would have a sweet tooth.”

“Oh shut up! Ugh, fine, ok, yes. I’ll meet you there in like, fifteen minutes as long as you stop annoying me. Just go. And if you were inclined to ask, I don’t need help carrying anything,” she snapped, waving him off with the back of her hand as she walked toward the checkout. It wasn’t until she got home and put everything away that she realized she still hadn’t picked up a carton of whipping cream. Her forehead got very well acquainted with her freezer door in her annoyance. Lahey…it was entirely his fault.

So when she walked into the coffee shop, she was ready to berate him. But she didn’t get the chance. Because when he waved her over to an out of the way table, he started talking before she could open her mouth. Naja had to settle for glaring a hole into his forehead. 

“I didn’t know what blend you’d want, or how you took your coffee. So I bought a cup and you can just fill it with whatever you want. The coffee is all over there…but you know that already, since you come here all the time,” he rambled, having stood up to hand her the mug. The glare faltered as her brow arched at his behavior, and she looked past him to the plate on the table. “…I also didn’t know what you liked, but I figured tarts were a good option. Since you mentioned the pastries.” 

Squinting, Naja took the mug from him and silently went to fill it up. Isaac kept weirdly revealing new parts of his personality, almost as if he actually _had_ one. He’d been unsettling before, but she would gladly take the smell over…whatever was happening now. 

She watched his knee bouncing rapidly as she walked back, blowing over the top of her full-to-the-brim mug. “Is there a reason you’re acting so weird?” she asked, grabbing a butter tart off the plate as she slid into her seat. Weird, like a normal teenager. Not a pariah turned smirk machine.

“I just wanted you to feel comfortable enough to talk to me, and normally I make you kind of mad, so I am trying something different. Is that a problem?” He grabbed a lemon tart while his other hand nursed his coffee.

Evidently, it was. “Yeah, a little, actually. Just…I dunno. Be normal.” It was her turn to pause and smirk. “As normal as you can be, I mean. Not being confrontational is throwing me off.”

She received an eye roll, but he bit hungrily into his tart. Another bite followed immediately after, but under her gaze, it went from almost encasing the entire tart, to a nibble. Naja always did her best to try not to notice things he did, but that was something she had experienced before. That frenzy when food was put in front of you. It was hard to shake. His former despair made a little bit more sense to her.

“So, why exactly do you feel so terrible? You weren’t even in the room with him. We were right there and we couldn’t do anything to stop him. What would you have done?” he asked, looking her right in the eye. It wasn’t as much a challenge as it was an honest question. But the former is how she took it.

“I don’t know!” she cried, anger immediately disappearing off her face as she ducked down in her seat. There weren’t many people in the café, but they’d all turned at her outburst. Naja barely wanted to be seen with Isaac, let alone have people interested in their conversation.

She cleared her throat and started again, staring into her mug as she swirled the coffee around. “I don’t know what I would have done. But I could have done something, could have tried. But no – I was too afraid. Not afraid of Jackson, but afraid of showing myself. Of breaking promises. I literally did nothing. What did I do? Kick you a syringe? You could have grabbed that without me. No. I was afraid and did nothing, and now a girl is dead.” Her view began to distort as tears welled in her eyes. Naja tilted her chin toward the ceiling; partly so she wouldn’t have to look at him, but also so the tears wouldn’t fall. “If I wasn’t worried about all the problems being open could cause -mostly to myself - maybe she wouldn’t have died. Maybe this would all be over. Kanima business quashed, hopefully without squashing Jackson. I was selfish. I wanted to help so badly, but when it came down to it…”

Gratefully, he stayed quiet as she stared at the ceiling, unblinking. Willing the tears to evaporate as her eyes opened ever wider to stop their spilling. Apparently, he couldn’t wait that long.

“Hey.” She didn’t look down and got a quick kick to the shin in response. 

Naja snapped her head back down a fat tear jostling loose from each eye, but his face was only one of sympathy. It suddenly was becoming much harder to control her tear ducts, and her nose was beginning to tingle. He acted like he didn’t see the faint trail that renegade tears had left down her cheeks. “Hey, I don’t know what you think you could have done alone – all of us failed to protect her too. We even had a plan. Maybe not, like, five plans like apparently you would have suggested, but we had a plan. We knew we had to work together to stop that…thing. Because when it comes out, it isn’t Jackson anymore. One more person wouldn’t have made a difference.”

“But how do you _know_?” she hissed, gripping the mug with both hands. As she began to spiral, she squeezed harder and harder. “You’re just a bunch of kids, barely even know what you are. What if I’d made that difference? If I _had_ been in the room? And we’d all worked together. What if-“ 

They both looked down at the handle of her mug now barely resting on her knuckles before tipping onto the table. Naja had been so focused on not shattering the mug, she’d let her thumbs slide. Apparently to the point that she cracked the handle off without realizing it. Wordlessly, she slid the bit of ceramic out of Isaac’s view behind the remainder of her mug. He was still blinking at the place where the handle had been and miraculously didn’t ask any questions.

“You can’t keep going over and over the ‘what ifs’ Naja. Believe me. I did that before, with what my dad did…it doesn’t help anything, and it’s almost impossible to put it behind you if you keep going over what you could have done differently,” he chided, the blank stare having been replaced by something much more serious. Somehow more adult. “Whatever your reasons are for being afraid, they’re yours. So that’s fine. It’s not like you didn’t want to help. Wouldn’t you feel even guiltier if you hadn’t been there at all?”  
Grumbling, she bit half of a raspberry tart in one bite, brow furrowed, lips pursed. “Of course I would have felt worse if I hadn’t tried. But I could have gone all the way, and I’ll forever live with that. Live with something I’d never wanted to feel again.”

Isaac’s eyes flashed yellow as he glowered at her. “You’re not the only one who has to live with that! We all do! Stop wallowing in self-pity and move on!” he growled, lips almost curled into a full snarl. “Everyone has their own guilt, their own shame. You talk about us like you’re so much older, call us kids. But you’re the one acting like a child!”

Naja leaned back in her seat, eyes wide. She hadn’t expected him to get so angry with her. She felt like a scolded child and fiddled with the ends of her hair. The fact that Isaac Lahey had even the smallest bit of a point about her behavior was mortifying. She took a sip of her coffee to give herself a moment to breathe. To process his assessment of her. And the more Naja thought on it, the more he was right. She felt like that scared child from all those years ago. In some ways, she still was.

Another sip of her flavoured concoction as if to cement she was no longer a child. Adults drink coffee. Not children. His nostrils were still flared when she finally looked at him again. Though his eyes were no longer golden, just that bright blue. “That’s why I normally work alone, so nobody else gets hurt. Nobody else faces what my decisions cause. The consequences of my actions should be mine and mine alone, but –“

“God! Would you shut up and be comforted?! I’m trying to make you feel better, and you’re somehow making me feel worse! Just…just try and perk up ok? Even the shrimp is worried about you not snapping out of it. You haven’t seen the way she looks at you lately. If you can’t do it for yourself, do it for her, at least,” he fumed, scowling before taking a long swig from his mug.

She’d paused at his outburst, mug halfway to her mouth, and now remembered to set it down. Stubbornness was not her best quality, and she wondered how he, and even Cassie, saw her. Not as brooding, but in the throes of a tantrum, face turning red as fists pounded the floor. Because that was starting to be how she saw herself. Not that she could tell him the whole truth of that. Or anybody, for that matter.

“You’re right…” Naja mumbled, running a slightly buttery hand through her hair. Settling on something related to the truth than an outright lie – she’d already told so many of those. “I hadn’t thought of how I’d be making other people feel. I’m sorry. Making you feel worse wasn’t my intention. And it definitely wasn’t to make Cassie worry.”

“It’s ok…” Isaac paused to half grin, half smirk at her. “Though I would like that apology in writing, or recorded. Also, you’re eventually going to show me what it is you’re so afraid of showing people. You know that, right?”

“I’m fairly certain I don’t have to do anything of the sort. My secret will stay my secret for as long as I want it to. Maybe forever,” she countered, sticking her tongue out at him. Yeah, _that_ wasn’t childish.

He laughed again, holding his hands up in resignation. “Alright, alright. Your secret, your timetable.” He picked at the leftover crumbs on the plate between them, crushing them beneath his finger to bring them to his mouth. “But, um, as long as you’re here. Could we talk about one more thing?” 

When he looked at her again, her eyebrow quirked, he ruffled his hair with his clean hand. “About me, not you. I mean, I don’t know what exactly you’re hiding, but it’s something. Apparently, something bigger and scarier than us, if your subtle bragging is to be believed. But…I don’t think you’ll judge me for this. Not like my pack might. But…I’m a little afraid of what will happen on the full moon. To me, the rest of the newbies. Its next week and I don’t know enough to know if I really should be afraid or not.”

Naja nodded will draining the last of her coffee from her busted mug. “I’m sure you’ll be fine. I’ve heard that you wolves just need to focus on something, something which can keep you grounded. But it has to be specific to you. What would work for Scott or Derek might not work for you. It probably wouldn’t work for you. It has to be Just For You.”

“So…whatever you are, you don’t have to worry about the full moon?” Isaac asked, leaning forward now, more intrigued than before. “And not a wolf?”

She laughed, a sharp, loud burst of laughter, and quickly ducked her head again. Obviously, quiet conversation was not her strong suit. “Believe me. The only people who need to worry would be anybody else if I’m awake.” She exhaled sharply through her nose, as a type of almost proud punctuation. It quickly faded back to her sullen expression as she frowned into her mug. Then she looked up into his smirking face. “What?”

“Oh, nothing,” he said innocently, stretching and leaning the chair back on two legs. “You just revealed the tiniest bit of information about yourself, that’s all.”

A flat look crossed her lightly freckled features as she made a kick for a raised leg. “Yeah, well. It’s not like that is a big clue or anything. There are tons of things other than wolves out there, newbie. My secret is still in the bottle. Cat still in the bag. And don’t think I’ll forget that you tried to trick me into saying things about myself.”

“Aw, come on. It wasn’t a trick, I really meant what I said, and I’m going to try that already. Derek has been saying it all this week to prep for the full moon,” Isaac complained, all four chair legs back on the floor. “Don’t go back to avoiding me now. I’m a newbie, like you said. Barely into the supernatural world. Share some knowledge, some time?”

Standing, Naja stuck her tongue out one more time. “I will keep doing whatever I want, thank you very much.” She paused as she pulled the cuffs of her sleeves back down. “Which most likely won’t include avoiding you if you stop stalking me and just talk to me like a person, Lahey. And if you want Introduction to the Supernatural, you’ve got an alpha for that.” With that, she waved, turned and walked out, hearing some footfalls behind her.

“Are they not big on saying goodbye in South Africa or something?” he asked, falling into step beside her, hands in his pockets.

“I was just trying to avoid this whole, slightly awkward, you walking me home…thing…” she proffered, hunching her shoulders up a little. “I know wolves operate in packs, but that’s just not really my thing.”

Isaac nodded, walking in silence for a few beats. “So, not a pack person, and you sleep during the full moon? Interesting, interesting.” He flipped open an imaginary notebook and took invisible notes. 

Naja rolled her eyes and shoved him a little harder than she meant to. He had to quickly shift his balance so that he didn’t fall over. She smiled apologetically and they walked in silence until her building was in sight. “So, not as awkward as it could have been. Thanks for walking me home, I guess.”

“It just so happens I need to walk this way to get to where I am staying, so don’t get too bent outta shape over it,” he teased, nudging her with his shoulder. “So, I’ll see you at school tomorrow?”

She held onto the door handle, fishing her key out of her pocket, and nodded. “And I’ll one day buy you coffee – I don’t like feeling as if I owe people. And a sweet treat too.”

“Ok, ok. If you insist, I will take that free duo. And maybe get a few more breadcrumbs of your secret,” he grinned, taking a step away as she opened the outer door of the building. “Oh, and one more thing…”

“Yes?” she asked, turning to find him leaning on the edge of the door. Sometimes he was so light on his feet she couldn’t hear him move.

“If you’re going to be sort of friendly, sour puss, can you at least call me Isaac instead of just Lahey?”

She smirked back at his honest question, key turning in the inner door lock. “No promises. Goodnight, ya weirdo.”


End file.
